* Please note, this was filmed just before masks were made mandatory. Now we're all wearing them all the time!

As HOPE Co-Op,  we ARE our members.

Most of us are asylum-seeker students, and we co-operatively own and run HOPE (see www.hopecoop.org.au for more information). Food for Hope is our effort to respond to our members' extreme need in the Covid19 crisis.

Through our own ongoing experience of seeking asylum, we know that without help, many asylum seeking uni students won't be able to eat, let alone continue their studies. And with the current situation, they're not likely to find employment any time soon. 

Our aim is to raise enough money—at least $20,000— to keep Food for HOPE going until at least the end of 2020. If we can raise more, we will expand to be able to support many more asylum seeker students across multiple universities in Melbourne.

Like so many Australians, lots have lost their casual jobs, but unlike so many Australians, they have been denied access to social security: no JobKeeper,  no JobSeeker, no Coronavirus supplement. No Centrelink. Despite most having lived here for at least seven years, many of our members feel unseen and are under even more extreme stress than the general community at this time. Covid19 has thrown them into extreme risk of destitution and their rare and hard-won opportunities provided by universities are at risk of being wasted. 

In March, we swung into action to source food through some key partners. We initially thought this work would be needed for 10 weeks. Since then have delivered supplies every week to 20 households of over 60 people, to students from both Monash and Victoria universities. We have been able to do this because of donations from many individuals, but we will run out of funds soon. Far from this crisis being over, the need of students seeking asylum is increasing and we aim to be there while asylum-seeker students in Melbourne need our support. 

HOPE will spend 100% of money raised on supporting students. At least 60% of funds will be spent on culturally appropriate grocery staples and supplementing the donated food we can access. We will also employ at least two students for weekend delivery work, helping make sure they can cover their own living costs. 

1. Grocery items: $12,200
2. Employing asylum-seeker students who have lost their jobs as drivers. TOTAL: $4,800
3. Petrol costs for deliveries across Northern, South-Eastern and Western suburbs. TOTAL: $2,000

With Victoria's current covid crisis, the need is rising and we have requests for supporting many more students. If you can all help us to reach our first targets, we will add further targets and upscale the project to support as many more people as we can. We will employ more out of work asylum-seeker students as drivers, and build this humane, grass roots project to counter some of the harshest impacts of current asylum seeker policies.