Mental Health Awareness
28 May 2026 | Shannen Harte
Mental Health can often be misunderstood, and it often leads to many problems in a persons day to day life and how they function. In January, a young woman (29) from the area approached us asking for food, she was unemployed and desperate for help. Upon her arrival we offered to help her with a warm meal from our kitchen and asked one of our care givers to speak with her to find out more about the situation at home. She shared that her father had recently passed away leaving the home to her and her brother. Her father had been ill for a while which eventually led to his passing. She said that she had fallen into a depression and this resulted in her losing her job. Her teenage brother was also now relying on her for support which she was unable to give him.
We recommended that she speak with our social worker and psychologist and come to us each morning for a meal. We also got her an appointment with our life coach, Glenda, who was able to give her support that she really needed. As time went on and through our counselling and support, we got to know this young woman and realised that she just needed someone to give her a chance. She began showing interest in the work that the community care givers were doing and asked if there was anything she could do to help them. Sam Pam who leads our group of community caregivers gave her the opportunity to get involved and assist them where needed. She now assists our caregivers daily with co-ordinating home visits and helping with basic admin.
