This story was originally published in December 6, 2024 and Star Weekly has chosen to share it again for readers to enjoy
Melton’s Sonyia Hosherr gets joy out of helping others. She chats to Faith Macale about her work with Pay It Forward and her life as a foster carer.
As the holiday approaches, Melton local Sonyia Hosherr is hard at work putting together shelves in her garage to provide gifts and supplies for people in need around the area.
Over two years ago, she started Pay It Forward – Melton, an initiative that provides “buddy bags” filled with essentials like clothes, toiletries, and more that vulnerable kids can have to call their own.
“When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was a foster carer. Because I couldn’t foster care, I needed to keep busy,” Sonyia said.
“I started doing Buddy Bags, collecting things, helping emergency care foster kids, and then I started getting referrals from different agencies like Anglicare and Orange Door.
“It’s just gone so big now. People donate so much stuff.
“I help people who are starting over again, or just moved to the country, or people that are getting their kids back through the system, or if people are homeless.
“People sometimes give a little donation. That’s the best gift.”
On a normal day, Sonyia leaves these goods outside her home for anyone to collect.
“It makes me feel good that it makes them feel better,” she said.
“I just leave it out there and they can take what they want and they don’t have me in their face.”
Sonyia said this approach is her way to show them that needing help doesn’t have to be embarrassing.
“It is embarrassing having to explain yourself,” she said.
This Christmas season, Sonyia has also opened her garage for everyone who is struggling.
She said she isn’t alone in helping those in need, with many in the community offering donations of goods.
“In this Melton community … I have come across the kindest, most generous people and it just blows my mind,” she said.
Soniya said doing Pay It Forward is not easy, but she knows that there are always people to help, so she encourages others to start their own Pay It Forward.
“It’d be good if other people did Pay It Forward,” she said.
“Without the donors, I couldn’t do Pay It Forward.
“Without the people that are so generous and they just give things, no questions asked, it just blows my mind.
“They are absolutely amazing.”
Sonyia has always had a passion for helping others and has been a foster carer for a number of years.
Her foster kids, Ange Zovaro and Shauna Grammatikos, and her biological daughter Carolina, were there when she was diagnosed with cancer and then started Pay It Forward.
“My kids, the older kids really helped me and looked after me and took me to all my treatments,” Sonyia said.
But Shauna said she wished she was able to do more.
“I felt bad for mum, because as she would probably say herself, she feels like she lost a purpose and what she enjoyed doing,” she said.
“She enjoys babysitting and watching over children because she has too much love to give out, and when it stopped, she was devastated.”
Shauna said if there’s anything she could do for Sonyia this Christmas, she’d buy her a house as a way to thank her for taking care of her.
Shauna and Ange both found their way to Sonyia through her biological daughter, Carolina.
“When I was first placed in the foster system, I bounced to a bunch of homes and I ended up being in Melton,” Ange said.
“I met her daughter through netball and we became good friends.”
“We hung out a lot, and I went to Sonyia’s house a lot.”
When asked why she wanted to keep fostering kids, Sonyia said it’s because she has a connection with them.
“I, myself, didn’t have a very nurturing mother,” she said.
“I just have a good connection with them so I become their mum.
“I can’t change my past, but I can change someone else’s future.”
That’s exactly how Shauna felt having Sonyia as her mother.
“I’m grateful for everything because if it wasn’t for mum, I wouldn’t know right from wrong,” she said.
“I would probably be homeless on a street with no job.
“To be honest, I’m grateful for what Sonyia’s done for me.
Ange said, “family isn’t always blood, it’s who you surround yourself with”.
As Christmas approaches, their little family have big plans to celebrate the season.
“We have a ‘friend-mas’ with just friends a couple of days beforehand,” Ange said,
“We have a full on Christmas celebration on Christmas Day where we have a bunch of people come over and hang out.”
