Lulla's hands out hampers to help local indigenous families in need

Lulla's Children and Family Centre may be down to just one child.But that has not stopped staff from serving their families from afar.The indigenous childcare centre has been sending out hampers of essential items to parents and FaceTiming children to maintain contact and support as the coronavirus crisis continues.Centre director Miranda Edwards said reality hit staff recently when zero children showed up to the facility one day.“It was emotional for us, we'd never had that happen before,” she said.“But we didn't want to sit still — we decided to send out food hampers and education packs to each child.“We will continue to do it every week until this is over.”The hampers include essential items such as toilet paper, nappies, fruit and vegetables, flour, milk, hand soap and bleach — all donated from Foodshare and Rumbalara.“We asked our parents what they were desperate for,” Ms Edwards said.“Many have asked for veggies like potatoes, pumpkin and cauliflower because prices have gone up so much families can't afford them.“Parents are also desperate for baby Panadol, because their children are teething and they just can't get their hands on any.”Centre staff have also been connecting with children via FaceTime.“We have been a big part of these children's lives for eight hours a day, so one phone call is nothing,” Ms Edwards said.“We tell them we love them, miss them and can't wait to see them again.“They love it — although they're not hesitant to tell us when they're done talking,” she said with a laugh.“It's also a chance to check on the parents and see how they're going.”Numbers have plummeted at the centre in the wake of the virus outbreak, with parents choosing to keep their children safe at home.Indigenous communities are at greater risk from COVID-19 due to the greater prevalence of chronic medical conditions compared to non-indigenous people.“So it's completely understandable they're staying home,” Ms Edwards said.“Currently, we're only open to take care of the children of essential workers, such as local healthcare workers.”But with her staff still on the frontlines, Ms Edwards said anxieties were high.“My team are all concerned, they've still got families to go home to at the end of the day,” she said.“They're putting themselves at risk to keep providing this service.“As a director, I'm trying to make sure everyone is looked after. I've been shouting them coffee and brekky from Lemon Tree Café and doing whatever I can to ease their minds.“Some staff have opted to go on leave while this is all going on.”The Federal Government has pledged to pay 50 per cent of the childcare sector's fee revenue to keep services open during the crisis.But Ms Edwards said the local centre had not seen any financial support to date.“A place like ours relies on funding to offer our services,” she said.“If we don't receive funding soon, I don't know what our future will be.“We just need something to get through this period. Because we are a much-needed service in this community and we want to come out the other side.”If you would like to donate resources to Lulla's for the hampers, simply drop them at the centre at 44 Edward St, Shepparton.