Pulse with a Purpose is certainly not taking its recent grant of $15,000 for granted.
Every Tuesday at the Dianella Community Centre, the team provides halal-friendly meals for those experiencing hardship in Tarneit.
That grant, which came from the state government’s community food relief program, has helped the non-profit organisation buy glass containers, thermal bags and ingredients for the rest of the year.
Being able to have reusable containers and bags is a game-changer for the group’s focus on sustainability, founder Musarrat Saiyed said.
“People are given two sets of these bags and glass containers, of which they will reuse and leave out or bring back for the next week,” she said.
“Those bags allow us to be as environmentally friendly as possible, so we can collect those items [containers and bags] that would otherwise go to landfill.”
The success of the drive has put to bed any doubts that the organisation may have held starting out three years.
“We were having doubts if people would agree to such a thing, but they don’t mind bringing their own containers,” Ms Saiyed said.
“We are really happy that we did go ahead and start it.”
While members of the community often come in, many rely on the food to be delivered, so a portion of the grant will go towards a petrol allowance for volunteer drivers.
“We are a very grassroots organisation and we didn’t want it to be too costly for our volunteers,” Ms Saiyed said.
