Brunswick Neighbourhood House:
23/03/2020 to February 2021
What is your connection to Moreland? And, to which suburb(s)?
We are a neighbourhood house in the heart of Brunswick.
What was your experience of life before the pandemic?
Each day varied from the one before. People coming and going – to attend programs, work in the garden, enrol in a course, to make things, or simply to have a chat. Volunteers coming and going – supporting our tutors, helping out in myriad ways. One-off classes – for example, a Turkish working workshop – would bring new faces and even more activity on a regular basis. We are a team of seven, spread over two venues (one, a childcare centre), working independently yet collaboratively to ensure that the needs of our clients are met, and that we deliver the best programs possible. 2019 was a year of growth for our organisation. We had received funding to develop a food forest in the adjacent Warr Park, and around that, activity increased and the organisation flourished. Our public profile grew, as did demand for our programs – so we were preparing for a bigger year in 2020 – but along came COVID19.
Describe an experience that occurred during this pandemic that has stood out to be significant to you or your organisation/space/business that you'd like to share?
What we learned during 2020 is that people want to help. The volunteer ‘spirit’ was almost palpable, such was the generosity we experienced. A low-key ‘Friday Food Bag’ initiative for locals grew quickly into a food bank, supported by food rescue agencies and local government. Within no time, people from beyond our postcode were sourcing food, packing it in boxes, and distributing it to an ever-growing line of people needing support.
Local bar, Rascal, created a 'Support Local Support Brunswick' campaign that included t-shirts, donating profits from sales to support outreach programs run by Brunswick Neighbourhood House.
Images courtesy of Brunswick Neighbourhood House
Images courtesy of Brunswick Neighbourhood House
In April we started the BNH Mask Making Project. A call out for people with sewing skills quickly proved the power of social media, and we started the program with volunteers who before had never heard of us. It was remarkable. People loved this project – it was a hands-on winner on every front. Providing other community organisations (like the Salvos, and the Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre) with large quantities of masks for their clients was such a great outcome for everyone involved.
It is true, that the pandemic experience drew kindness to the surface. People locked up in flats and houses were bursting at the seams for conversation and engagement with others. We saw this happening all around us: with kids and their 'Spoonville' in the park next to our centre; with people donating food for our Community Food Pantry; making the masks; running the food bank. The challenges were there in different ways for everyone – but new opportunities, sometimes tiny, sometimes significant, did arise, and it was wonderful to watch people take them on. We embraced Zoom – to learn and socialise – and our Little Library got bigger and bigger. The community gave, in so many ways.
At the end of 2020 we are a stronger organisation with an increased understanding of our own community – and a greater capacity to initiate and implement actions to benefit it.
Photos by Anne Moffat. Experience submitted through submission form.