A free, nutritious meal meant so much to one international student, she signed up as a volunteer and joined the FareShare FootSteps Challenge.

“In recent difficult times, a meal of great nutritional value came to me,” said Alexandra Calderon, who is studying in Brisbane. “I thought, behind this meal, there must be a special story.”

Alexandra (pictured below while travelling in Peru) arrived from Colombia to study English just before Brisbane went into lockdown in March.

Like most international students, she expected to support herself with a job. Instead, she and her partner found themselves in a foreign city with no income.

“There were no jobs. Obviously, I didn’t have enough money,” said Alexandra. About three weeks after she started studying, her life changed when her college offered the first FareShare meals.

Being able to receive healthy, cooked meals made a huge difference and ensured Alexandra had enough money to cover her rent. She Googled FareShare and registered as a volunteer in June.

She now has a part-time cleaning job, prepares meals in our Brisbane kitchen and is helping raise funds as one of the 599 walkers on the FareShare FootSteps Challenge this month.  

“Now I am part of Fareshare and now I know behind these meals, there are fantastic people who make everything possible,” she said.

You can join or support Alexandra on the FareShare FootSteps Challenge.

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