Winter Relief 2017: City Mission's Leah Koroma on why she loves her job

Mrs Koroma has been working at the front counter of Launceston City Mission since 2015 and has seen first-hand the toll the colder weather of the winter months can have on those who are in need.

“We definitely see an increase during winter,” she said.

She said City Mission tried to help people out in a lot of different ways, whether it was giving them physical items like clothes and blankets or through monetary means.

“I really saw first-hand how much we, as a not-for-profit, rely on other people’s donations to help people,” she said.

“There was a time recently when we didn’t have many donations and we nearly ran out of things in the warehouse at the back, that was when it really hit home for me.”

She said the generosity of people who supported campaigns such as The Examiner’s Winter Relief campaign was paramount to enabling services like City Mission.

“I am the first port of call for people so I see all types of people, those who want to make a donation, all the way to those who are coming in to ask for help,” she said.

“I just love the variety, every day is different from the next. I work with the team leaders and on the front desk so I like that I’m able to help people.”

Family Services team leader Nicky Gray said people need help in a variety of ways.

“It may not just be food that they are needing, they could come in with  a letter of disconnection for their power and we also do a lot of advocacy,” he said.

“Unless you take the time to run through the power bill a lot of people don;t understand it, they know how much they owe, but we can give them a basic understanding of what else there bill is telling them.”

Mr Gray was the youngest in his family and knows first-hand the struggles people go through.

“We never had a lot, my father was a hard worker and had a low income at the time but he kept all of us fed and we had clothes, we had the basics of life and when I look back I am thankful that my family instilled the value of not judging a book by its cover.”