Mobile Foodbank
There was excitement, horn tooting and a hearty round of applause from volunteers and donors to welcome the arrival of Baw Baw Food Relief’s refrigerated van for its Outreach Program on its premises in Warragul last Thursday.
The latest addition will enable the volunteer service to expand its reach in providing healthy and fresh food to the growing number of people in need or homeless in the shire.
The vehicle was fittingly driven for its arrival by volunteer Jan Morton, who compiled and submitted an application for a Department of Health and Human Services grant towards the cost.
In January a grant for $41,000 was confirmed but it fell significantly short of what was needed.
The Food Relief program this year won a Baw Baw Shire Australia Day award and another during the Celebrate Baw Baw promotion a couple of months later.
Craig Debnam, chief executive officer of Lardner Park, was so impressed with what it does when he visited as part of the judging panel for the Celebrate Baw Baw awards, that he got on the telephone to some local businesspeople.
Within 24 hours he had commitments for $28,000 to meet the balance of the van’s cost.
Food Relief co-ordinator Jan Davidson said the organisation would have had to use its own funds and seek public donations to make up the balance.
Instead we were able to spend our money on what matters - food, she said.
Ms Davidson gave special thanks to the donors – Dale and Kitty Cook of Copelands estate, Ian and Robyn Bayley, Ian and Kerry Cougle, Tim Modra of Modra Technology, Stu Davis of SJD Law, Tony Malady of Malady Electrical, Craig Debnam, Tim Kubale of Kubale Constructions, Daniel Bainbridge of Mercure Warragul, Jamie Power from Simonds Homes, Michael Hodge at Warragul Country Club and Michael Grogan from FGM Consultants.
The arrival of the refrigerated van will mean the introduction of fortnightly deliveries to Yarragon and Trafalgar from May 11 as part of the Outreach Program that since last July has distributed 15 tonnes of food, including 600 kilograms to Rawson.
Manager of Baw Baw Food Relief Anne Pascoe said the service was now a far cry from when it started humbly in a shed behind a church in Tarwin St, Warragul, 19 years ago.
Its now 87 volunteers stack shelves and serve customers at the shop in Pearse St and the adjoining Opp shop, pick up food from donors and suppliers and, where necessary, deliver it through the Outreach program.
Assistance has now also extended to providing clothing, personal care items and essential homewares.
Ms Davidson said the need for local food relief continued to grow.
Every Victorian deserves fresh and healthy food, she said.