Kindness is king at LocalKind
Every Friday morning, Tess Tracy arrives at LocalKind’s community drop-in centre in Manly where she volunteers, laden down with a variety of delicious homemade sandwiches for the 35 or so people who will visit the centre that morning seeking help. It could be someone who has experienced domestic violence, is homeless and hungry, or simply needs a warm welcome and a kind face like Tess’s.
“It’s become a quite a thing,” says Tess. “And it’s quite funny, people have their favourites. And someone will say, ‘The bread is fresh,’ which is something so simple that we all take for granted. I make roast beef and chutney, that’s one of the favourites, as well as chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise.”
Tess walked into the drop-in centre on Raglan Street five years ago with a donation and ended up volunteering. “I’m at the front desk with my partner Eric,” says Tess. “When people come in, I just want them to feel like it’s their place. We’re here to help them.”
Tess was surprised to be nominated as a Westfield Warringah Mall Local Hero and being chosen as a finalist was a bonus.
LocalKind’s services include the drop-in centre, homeless outreach, domestic and family violence support and family child and youth support. They give out clothing, food packages and feminine hygiene kits, and really rely on donations – especially when they are down to their last can of tuna.
A former Manly resident, now in Neutral Bay, Tess ran her own market research company before retiring. She likes to quilt and spends a lot of time with her two grandchildren, but she cherishes her volunteer work. “It’s brilliant,” she says. “I feel I can really make a difference, but the best thing is I am meeting people that I would never have met before, wonderful people who teach me so much.”
At the centre, as well as having a sandwich, a cake or a cuppa, visitors can have a chat with Tess who will point them in the right direction of the right person to help them, whether it be a domestic violence (DV) professional or someone who can help someone find a home.
“It’s like a triage,” says Tess. “You just get to know what people want. You can tell, especially with DV, when you know to get them away from the crowd, that they want a little bit of quiet.”
Homelessness is a big problem in Manly, Tess explains. “They live (all around Manly). At night time you will see the lights because they’re in tents.”
The centre relies on donations
Tess worries about people she knows through the centre who are sleeping rough. “It’s teeming down with rain and I’m at home and wonder how ‘G’ is – who sleeps in a bus shelter near the beach,” Tess says. “You think, ‘How cold are they?’ You never stop thinking about them.”
If Tess is successful, the $20,000 prize money will fund the salary of LocalKind Northern Beaches’s experienced homelessness support worker, who provides emotional and practical help. “It’s really sad, but people think the Northern Beaches is (full of) really wealthy and well-educated (people) and that it doesn’t breed homelessness or domestic violence,” says Tess.
Voting closes on 8 September at westfield.com.au/local-heroes
The winning hero will be announced on 14 October.
