Giving to others is great for your mental health. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve always tried to champion other communities and causes through Running for Resilience (R4R), particularly when the call to help is from our own community.
This week, instead of the normal meet the runners newsletter, we’ve held the spot for Will Mackay who I hope we get to meet in a future rag. Will is the epitome of giving to others within our community, and I know there’s many that will attest to that.
And true to form, he’s been working behind the scenes to help launch what could be a semi-regular event at R4R, and without speaking too much on it, I’ll hand the reins to Will.
It is great to be part of this community dedicated to making Canberra suicide-free by 2033. Each R4R gathering is a sign of support and connection that is building a network of support and resilience.
There is a strong link between socioeconomic status and suicide and this week, we are fortunate to have Mohammed Ali (not the boxing hero, but a true local hero), chairman of Helping ACT, join us.
Helping ACT provides free food to vulnerable families and individuals in Canberra and Queanbeyan, without discrimination. They also offer weekly breakfasts to five schools in Canberra, assist refugees and asylum seekers with food and settlement needs, and support those affected by domestic violence and homelessness. Their efforts include operating a food bank, holding monthly BBQs with their food van, and providing monthly lunches for the homeless.
This Wednesday we will be set up to collect food donations and tax deductible contributions for HelpingACT – you can make a donations as you enjoy the generosity of a free beer and pay it forward. You can also make donations below.
The more support we can give when it is needed most, the more we can further our goal.
Here are the food donations most utilised. Please bring along anything you can (must not be out of date).
So, please. If you can bring some or any items down, it will make a small difference in someone’s life. And thank you Will for organising this great initiative.