By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
IN LINDEN Barry’s eyes the world would be a better place if everyone just tried “5 per cent more”.
A humble, Narre Warren father of two, Linden, has spent more time in the supermarket this month than he has done in 15 years.
And it was a newspaper article on struggling drought stricken farmers in northern Victoria that lead him to the shops.
“I just read it and thought that’s no good and came out the next day and thought buggar it I better do something to help them,” said Linden, owner of Cardboard Cartons in Dandenong.
“Sometimes you just got to try a bit harder, and once you get outside of Melbourne you see how dry it is,” he said.
So he and his 18-year-old son Lachlan piled 16 trolleys worth of toiletries and groceries into a van and drove the seven hours to Dingee and back earlier this month.
“We did it all in one day,” Linden said.
The items were donated to East Loddon Community Centre president Leanne Welsh, who started a food bank for 30 farming families under financial strain.
And since the delivery Linden and Lachlan have returned to help Dingee volunteers package his generous donation – which took him three hours to buy.
“Lachie, I and half a dozen ladies packed up the food ready to be distributed by the Salvos outreach,” Linden said.
Both Narre Warren North CFA fire fighters Linden and Lachlan have vowed they will do it all again.
“The delivery came to 70 parcels for families most in need and you don’t have to have a link to the area to be able to help someone,” Linden said.
“We don’t have any ties in Dingee but give us two months and we will do another load.”
Originally Linden wasn’t keen to have his donation made public but has since changed his mind, in the hope that his efforts will remind others that they, too, can put in an extra 5 per cent.
