68. Generosity and Gratitude.

$580.00 cash

GoFundMe $3,286.95

3 large Pizza League pizzas - value $71.70

Free financial advise session by Tim

$100.00 Aldi gift card

$25.00 Coles gift card

Punnet of blueberries

Punnet of strawberries

Big W gift card (TBA $)

1kg pot of local honey

Two shopping bags from Lorraine

BIG box corn flakes

2 tins baked beans

2x140g pizza sauce

415g tin wild Alaskan pink salmon

2x440g tins pineapple pieces

210g jar whole grain mustard

400g tin black beans

3x400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 medium pizza bases

bag fried noodles

215g bag shredded coconut

250g box chickpea pasta

2x1L carton vegetable stock

12 pack mini Picnic bars

2 massive boxes from the Spur Cres divvy group

4 mangoes

6 bananas

2 heads broccoli

1 head cauliflower

big bunch spinach

bag green beans

bag mushrooms

4 tiny cucumbers

10 carrots

5 tomatoes

bag tiny rainbow tomatoes

9 brown onions

2 red onions

2 Granny Smith apples

8 Fuji apples

2 red capsicum

1 yellow capsicum

3 potatoes

1 avocado

1 pear

5 oranges

15 mandarins

punnet strawberries

pumpkin cob loaf

Six fruit loaf

5x500g bags spiral pasta

2 chicken noodle soup pouches

jar blueberry jam

bottle organic Tamari

jar Malaysian Kapitan curry base

1x400g tin organic coconut milk

2x tins organic diced tomatoes

2x bags 1kg long grain rice

Pouch of tumeric

Generosity - The quality of being kind and generous.

Gratitude - The quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

I bet you are wondering what sort of crazy recipe this is. It's the amazing support of my local community and their boundless generosity. A couple of weeks ago when I was having an exercise class on a Monday I mentioned that I was thinking of checking out the food banks to supplement my groceries as they are so very expensive these days. Sarah said that next time she went shopping she could get me some berries. I said that would be lovely. She mentioned she usually does a shop on Sunday so I wasn't expecting her at the door about half an hour later with a punnet of blueberries and a punnet of strawberries and an Aldi gift card. I was extremely touched by this and shed quite a few tears over it as well . Just thinking again I can feel the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.

Sarah said that if I didn't mind she could put a note onto the local Living in Loftus Facebook page to see if others might like to donate a bit of food. As you have read, a "bit of food" became a torrent. I did a cook up of some things that wouldn't last too long and was able to make meals for my sisters too as it all wouldn't have fitted in the freezer. They are all also struggling in this high inflation world so sharing the love was a given. A GoFundMe page was set up and as you can see that has certainly alleviated a lot of the financial stress that has been building this year. Mither and Pither have helped out with big costs such as car service, new tyres, new contact lens, dentist etc and have been very generous allowing me to live here rent and bills free.

I don't write the list of everything I received to boast and I must say that I have had a touch of embarrassment that there are so many more people in this country and the world struggling worse than me. It must be acknowledged that almost all this was either delivered or pledged within only a few days of the call going out to the community. My name was not used, just "lady in Loftus". It makes it even more wonderful and loving that strangers gave so much. The Spur Cres divvy group each bought one or two extra items in their weekly order. Something little can amount to so much and make a huge impact on someone else's life. When I start to earn money again I will keep my ear to the ground so I can lend my support to a local person who is struggling to keep the generosity train moving.