Neighbour 2 Neighbour
Are you elderly, disabled, isolated or otherwise vulnerable? Council has set up a hotline to assist those in the community requiring special help. This is NOT a medical hotline, your best source for medical information is still NSW Health. The Council hotline is to ensure those in our community who require special assistance are not forgotten. Call 9748 9939 on Monday – Friday from 8.30am – 5:00pm.
If you are unable to get through immediately, please leave a message with your return phone number to enable a call back.
The Neighbour2Neighbour Program (non-medical) connects vulnerable residents with neighbours who are in a position to help.
Gift of essential items: Strathfield residents and households are encouraged to prepare and register a gift package of non-perishable food and essential personal hygiene items for someone vulnerable.
To register, please send your contact details and how you would like to help to n2n@strathfield.nsw.gov.au
Council will contact you to arrange for the collection of your gift when a person requiring help is identified.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Strathfield Council has sought ways to support the community through one of the largest public health challenges the world has faced. The Neighbour2Neighbour Program aimed to connect vulnerable residents including the elderly, disabled or isolated, with neighbours who were in a position to help.
Council set up a hotline for those who required special assistance and put the call out for neighbours who were in a position to help with the following:
- Gift of essential items – Strathfield residents and households were encouraged to prepare and register a gift package of non-perishable food and essential personal hygiene items for someone vulnerable.
- Gift of time – Locals not in a position to donate items, were encouraged to volunteer their time to coordinate the supply of essential items, or make regular well being calls to check on the vulnerable.
The number of generous locals who registered to support their communities was overwhelming.
Council had the privilege to meet with a few of the volunteers who donated essential items. The conversations that transpired with the volunteers were encouraging with some stating that the Neighbour2Neighbour program had inspired them to help others.
To date, there were more than 70 volunteers from the community giving their time and money by donating essential items to over 30 vulnerable and elderly community members of Strathfield.
This story is to recognise and thank all the volunteers and residents of Strathfield for their generosity. Council would like to thank the Strathfield community for their willingness to respond as a duty of care and a sense of responsibility.
One volunteer, over the age of 60, arrived at Council, laden with shopping bags of essential items; a young volunteer found the motivation to make and donate homemade marmalade, despite having a new baby and recently losing his job.
Volunteers Mr. Chris An and his lovely daughter Vanessa (pictured above)
On Friday 27 March 2020, Channel 9 news covered a story on what the local government was doing to help those in need, and one of our volunteer couple appeared in the news as they prepared the gift of essential items to bring to Council.
Items were also donated to St Paul’s Burwood, a charity that caters for people experiencing homelessness and unemployment. Father James Collins at St Paul’s Burwood, expressed appreciation for the support and thanked the people who were willing to give these gifts.
Council will continue the N2N program for the time being, to ensure that the elderly, vulnerable and isolated, are not forgotten.
Thank you to everyone who made N2N a worthwhile program during these difficult circumstances. Let’s continue to follow the guidelines and health advice from NSW Health, remain vigilant, stay healthy and safe, and most importantly look out for each other. We are all in this together.
