Hawkesbury's Helping Hands charity marks 15 years of service

Hawkesbury's Helping Hands marks 15 years serving Sydney's most disaster-prone region Single mother Linda Strickland was at home in Sydney's north-west with her eight-year-old daughter one night when she heard someone getting into the bins in her backyard. Her daughter Cassidy asked why someone was desperate enough to go through their bins to find food. "How do I explain to her that we allow, we can let people be that hungry?" Ms Strickland said. "I had blinkers on. I had no idea that people were that hungry." The Windsor pair decided they had to do something about it. Linda and Cassidy made some meals, put them in plastic containers, and went to the local park where they knew people experiencing homelessness were staying. That night, 15 years ago, Linda and Cassidy co-founded the charity Hawkesbury's Helping Hands (or HHH), which has since grown from those warm meals at the park into a warehouse that provides hampers and basic essentials for hundreds across Sydney's most disaster-prone region. Helping where disaster is no stranger The mum-and-daughter team has since become the face of disaster response in the Hawkesbury, which in recent years has battled through more than its fair share of major events, including the 79-day Gospers Mountain bushfire in 2019–20 and five major floods between 2020 and 2022. They have received two visits from prime ministers, by Scott Morrison in March 2022 and once by Anthony Albanese in July 2022 when the area was hit three times in the same year. Ms Strickland remembered being called up in the middle of the night when the first flood hit in February 2020 off the back of the Black Summer bushfires. She said years of being a service with connections in the community meant they were ready to step up. "I was called in the middle of the night to set up an evacuation centre because, being a homelessness service, we had air mattresses, we had pet supplies, we had snacks," Ms Strickland said. "We were already prepared." "Now we are prepared even better because five floods has taught us a lot." Outside of major natural disasters, the charity of around 20 volunteers has been a lifeline for the community during droughts, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. At their busiest, which was usually around Christmas when some other charities were not operating, Ms Strickland said they were moving between 20 and 30 pallets of food a day, which is donated by food relief charities and supermarkets. This week, the charity turns 15. Ms Strickland said Hawkesbury's Helping Hands' clientele had grown from people experiencing homelessness to working families doing it tough, some of whom travel well outside their area to receive support. "There can be two-income families who still can't afford to eat, meet their mortgage, meet their rent," Ms Strickland said. "Interestingly enough, our fastest-rising demographic is actually The Hills, which most people always consider an affluent area." No direct government funding People like mother-of-three Paula Maher, who also looks after her two grandchildren, know how much of a difference the charity makes. She came into Hawkesbury Helping Hands and left with a hamper that could sort out meals for the best part of a week. "Rent payments, car payments, water bills, electricity, everything's just haywire at the moment," Ms Maher said. "When you don't have the money for the food you just come here to Linda's and she provides you with everything that she can." Despite the high-profile visits from politicians during a crisis, Ms Strickland said the charity had never been directly funded by government and was instead funded through community donations and business sponsorships. Politicians from both sides of the aisle admire the charity's work. "HHH shows up week after week to give people affordable access to food and basics, but in times of disaster and crisis the team is extraordinarily responsive," said Labor MP Susan Templeman, whose federal seat of Macquarie includes the Hawkesbury. "As a local charity, they understand the unique geography and the people of the Hawkesbury region." Ms Templeman said she provided a federal grant for the organisation in 2024 aimed at their volunteers and that federal funding of at least $20 million had been given to food relief providers who were among those that donated supplies to HHH. "The benefits of federal funding to organisations like Foodbank, Second Bite, and OzHarvest flows through to communities thanks to the work of local charities like HHH." Liberal NSW Member for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston said the charity made a real impact for people who did not know where their next meal might come from. "When basic necessities are not even an option, Linda and her team of amazing volunteers fill the gap, giving practical support, reinstating dignity, showing respect and continued compassion," Ms Preston said. "That's the difference that has earned Hawkesbury's Helping Hands the high regard that the community has for the services they provide." Looking ahead to the next 15 years Ms Strickland said the charity was preparing for a major El Niño event that may bring hot days to the Hawkesbury by opening up her warehouse space as a relaxation zone with fans and couches for people who could not escape the heat. The charity has made room for this by acquiring a neighbouring warehouse room where dozens of pre-wrapped crates filled with air mattresses and sleeping bags await the next disaster. Ms Strickland said the charity was also gearing up for the next flood and had recently been given flood-proof bags that could contain half the goods of a house and stay submerged for four weeks. “I can see myself being here for another 15 years," Ms Strickland said. "Whether I'm here or not, because it's not about me, we have amazing volunteers. "I think Hawkesbury's Helping Hands is a much-needed place."