How are you doing? Need a bit of respite from the COVID-19 news agenda?
We know how you're feeling, honestly. We've trawled our websites across Australia to bring you a curated list of the most uplifting stories in the ACM network.
Enjoy a five-minute break, have a smile, take a breath and then share with your friends so they can enjoy, too.
Businesses' gift of thanks for nurses on coronavirus frontline
Barely a day goes by without a reminder of the work that frontline healthcare workers are doing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why when Sianne Fitzsimons and Tegan Williams had a chance to say thank you, they jumped at the chance.
The co-owners of The Lab Skincare Clinic were approached by skincare company DMK to help surprise the nurses at Queanbeyan District Hospital with a free skincare gift pack.
"DMK was contacted by one of the midwives saying that all of the nurses have been working over time and working crazy hours amidst this COVID-19 crisis," Fitzsimons said. "So DMK thought this was a great chance to give back and say thank you to all the nurses, and they contacted us and we were obviously over the moon to get on board especially since most of us live in Queanbeyan and the gifts were for nurses at Queanbeyan hospital." Read on
Residents catch up with family and friends on Facetime thanks to generous staff
The generosity of staff members at an aged care facility has helped keep elderly residents connected with their families during the COVID-19 shut down.
The 14 residents at Bingara Multipurpose Service (MPS) in the NSW New England area haven't been able to see their loved ones or family members since a coronavirus lockdown came into effect a couple of weeks ago.
Worried for the residents' wellbeing, staff took matters into their own hands, by giving over their own phones for regular Facetime calls. Read on
How comedians driving vans helped keep CEnyrelink offices open
When a hand sanitiser shortage threatened to close Centrelink offices on the eastern side of Australia, a Canberra distillery - and comedians driving vans - helped save the day.
Underground Spirits has now produced 40,000 litres of hand sanitiser for frontline medical staff and government agencies in the past six weeks, owner and head distiller Dr Toby Angstmann said.
Demand has been so great, the distillery has set up a new business arm - AUS, made by Underground Spirits - to sell to the public through a new drive-through sanitisation station at the Canberra Region Visitors Centre. Read on
Vinnies meal service to Port Lincoln resumes
Fred's Van in Port Lincoln offers a food service program to vulnerable people in Port Lincoln. Like many services, it was hit hard by COVID-19. But now it's back - up and running after shutting down on March 22.
Fred's Van coordinator Teresa Branch said volunteers helped to provide take-away meals to people on Sunday.
"It's not quite the same as we used to - we quite like to offer people an inside sit-down meal, because it's not just about the food it's about that social connection," she said.
Nice work, Fred's Van and all concerned. Read on
Cooking classes at Ballarat Cook Club go online
The flame under Marie Wilson's lifelong dream of creating a cooking club and social connections within the community flickered out in March when her fledgling Ballarat Cook Club was forced to close due to coronavirus restrictions. But was that the end? No way.
After a period of offering takeaway meals from her Delacombe business, Ms Wilson has taken her cooking community online to offer workshops, classes and birthday parties via Zoom using supplied ingredients. Now, participants in her classes pick up a box of ingredients and recipe card from Ballarat Cook Club the day before their cooking class, then join in to cook at home. Read on
Dubbo family thanks their community for 'heartwarming' support
All it took was a humble cardboard sign for Dubbo to make a little boy turning five feel "even more special and loved" during the COVID-19 pandemic. A traditional party with extended family and friends was not an option for Thomas Nestor who has been housebound for almost two months.
What happened next has made the Nestor family, including Thomas' father Michael and three-year-old sister Charlotte, evermore grateful for good neighbours and the wider Dubbo community.
"It turned out to be the best birthday yet," Mrs Nestor said. Read on
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