Program helps backpackers

Manjimup’s Seventh-day Adventist Church has been providing backpackers staying at the Manjimup Hotel with food and frozen meals, as part of the SecondBite program.

Pastor Ross Craig said the idea to bring the food directly to the backpackers came as the church restarted the program, which delivers food donations from Coles and Woolworths to those in need in the community.

“We thought it would be a great thing to do to just make it easier or give us some more time to get our delivery schedules organised, if, for these couple of weeks we delivered straight down to people who are in need and that is the backpackers,” he said.

Part of its work has been to deliver frozen meals to Pemberton and Northcliffe, for people in need.

Giacomo Tuveri is one of the backpackers lodged in the hotel and said they were happy to receive the food.

“It’s a difficult situation for us with no work and to be supported by the locals, it’s amazing,” he said.

Mr Tuveri — originally from Cagliari in Italy — has been without work since the end of apple season, but said he was lucky because he had a chance to work and to save money.