Eighty to one-hundred meals were delivered every day during the COVID-19 shutdown (for more than 10 weeks). These meals were prepared in the kitchen of Indian Pantry, Florey which generously donated their premises and staff to be used for this noble cause.

Volunteers under the umbrella of Turbans 4 Australia played an instrumental role to help the elderly who were isolated from their families, the disabled, people under self-quarantine, people who had lost their casual jobs and anyone else who approached the team for assistance. Emotional testimonials were received where people felt they were “being kept alive” by the services of the charity and its volunteers.

Fifty to one-hundred hampers were also put together frequently at the Queanbeyan Community Hall. These hampers contained non-perishable staple items such as noodles, pasta, jam, tea, coffee, juice and soup, which were subsequently delivered in and around Canberra.

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council also allowed us to use of their community hall in Queanbeyan around-the-clock at no cost.

Amardeep Singh along with Paramdeep Singh, Maninder Singh and Gurvinder Singh Sandhu started cooking meals in Paramdeep’s kitchen in Queanbeyan. However, demand from the community for meals and hampers rose quickly and that is when the restaurant and community hall was a useful resource.

Turbans4Australia was started in 2015 with the initiative of Mr Amar Singh to “help anyone in need in Australia regardless of religion, race or ethnicity”. Turbans4Australia has been extremely successful in breaking barriers and eliminating fear surrounding cultural and religious diversity and promoting the Australian values of egalitarianism and mateship.

We can all do our part to support one another, take part in each other’s happiness and sorrows to flourish as a community.