By Alesha Capone
Sometimes a small act of kindness can go a long way, even if it’s just a cup of coffee.
Moderators of the Melbourne & Western Suburbs Coronaforum Facebook group – Point Cook’s Adrian Chng, Aradhana Arya and Naz Carmichael – have started an online fundraising campaign titled the ‘Digital Coffee Shout’ for members of the community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Chng said the GoFundMe campaign was aiming to raise funds to purchase e-gift cards for members of the public, whose jobs or businesses have been lost or negatively affected by the pandemic.
“Our hope is that these e-gift cards of between $20 and $50 value will be able to spread some encouragement and cheer to those who are doing it tough at the moment,” Mr Chng said.
“It’s like shouting a mate a coffee, although the recipients can spend the gift cards on anything they choose.
“I believe that these small acts of kindness add up and even if these small sums of giving won’t change lives, we believe these small gestures of encouragement and community care will touch lives and show that there are people who care.”
Mr Chng said that in the Melbourne & Western Suburbs Coronaforum, which has more than 3600 members, many people have shared accounts of having lost their jobs or being forced to close businesses due to the pandemic.
“I’ve set a target of $5000 for the campaign but really, any final amount will do – as each additional donation, no matter how small, could mean more lives touched in the community,” he said.
The campaign will run until mid-September, however may be extended if people wish for more time to donate.
See gofundme.com/f/online-community-coffee-shout for details.
