IN an attempt to keep the electorate's senior citizens connected during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson is endeavouring to call every citizen over the age of 80.
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In conjunction with his electoral team and the Rotary Club of Tamworth Sunrise, more than 100 senior citizens have been contacted so far and the team is aiming to reach the more than 800 members of the electorate over the age of 80 in the coming days.
Electorate officer Lyniece Keogh said the project was born out of a desire to keep the community connected during the pandemic.
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"Kevin spoke to the team and wanted to touch base with some of the most vulnerable members of our community and we thought the best way to do that was to start making some phone calls," Ms Keogh said.
"I've made about 140 calls in the past four days to people right across the electorate.
"We will just keeping pushing through until we contact everyone over the age of 80."
Mr Anderson said the help of the Rotary Club of Tamworth Sunrise was invaluable.
"The club contacted me to see if there was anything they could do to help, which is just fantastic," he said.
"Once I told them about what we were doing, they offered their support to come into our office to help make those calls and touch base with our senior citizens to make sure they are alright."
Ms Keogh said there had been an overwhelming response of citizens seeking assistance with obtaining essential items such as groceries.
"We've had a really good response and a lot of the older people we have been speaking to have been following all the guidelines to a tee," she said.
"A lot of them have been very surprised to be getting the call and really grateful for the contact.
"Some have been having trouble accessing groceries, so we have been able to link them up with the supermarkets doing home deliveries and other local services such as Meals on Wheels and things like that.
"People are more than willing to step up in the testing times and help those more vulnerable members of the community, which is great to see.
"Another issue that has been regularly brought up has been about the reasons for leaving the house and exercise and things like that.
"I think pretty much everyone we have spoken to has been really mindful of the guidelines in place and are keen to follow those guidelines every step of the way."