If rummaging through your pantry unveils unwanted cans of baked beans, tuna or other non-perishable items, you might consider donating them to the municipality’s foodbanks.
Wyndham Park Community Centre’s community foodstore coordinator Christine Mackaness said many people are yet to recover from the monetary effects of the pandemic and an one in three people who visited the foodbank had never experienced food insecurity before now.
“We give out 700kg of fruit and vegetables each week plus 100kg bread and 300kg non perishable items,” she said.
“[We serve] around 160 families each week, but they are not the same people all the time.
“Some come for a short while, until they are on their feet again and others are long term attendees, [but] on average we have 10 to 15 new attendees each week.”
Ms Mackaness said the foodbank tries to cater to the diverse cultures accessing their service, including people from Karen, Indian, East and West African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European backgrounds.
“Some of the people have very specific needs and we try to help when we can,” she said.
“We have those with family members who have special dietary requirements, like coeliac, dairy intolerance, vegan etc, so we have to source these items too.
“We have also set up community pantries in several local schools and community centres, so staff at these locations can provide basic food items to families in need, until they can access a food support program like ours.
“Very often it is about a lot more than just food.”
The foodbank will also utilise donations to put together community Christmas hampers for struggling families and individuals.
