COHUNA’S Community Pantry continues to provide people in need with a range of food items throughout the COVID period, with demand for most of that time a little below pre-COVID levels.
However, volunteer Wendy Duckworth-Veitch, who runs the service, attributed the slight decline in demand to government assistance in the form of JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments, both of which are paid at much higher rates than the pre-COVID NewStart allowance.
“If they weren’t getting that (extra assistance), I think we’d be swamped,” Ms Duckworth-Veitch said.
“Now it’s gone up to a reasonable amount they can support their family and then they can just come and get a box every now and then.”
There was an initial spike in demand for community pantry items during early COVID-inspired uncertainty.
“At the start, people panicked and what you couldn’t get in the supermarket they were hoping we had and we had some toilet paper and soap,” Ms Duckworth-Veitch said.
The service operates at Cohuna Neighbourhood House with residents able to help themselves from cupboards out the front of the centre.
If people need other items they can’t find in the pantry they can contact the house and obtain a box of items prepared to collect.
The community pantry works on a simple philosophy.
“With the pantry, it’s give what you can, take what you need,” Ms Duckworth-Veitch said.
The pantry stocks a range of items such as rice, noodles, stock, seasonings, sauces, sugar and cake mixes.
Other items such as eggs and fruit are sometimes included in food boxes.
Ms Duckworth-Veitch was looking forward to boosting the offerings of fresh produce when the soon-to-be-planted community garden beds begin to flourish.
Much of the food for the program comes through Foodbank Victoria, with Cohuna Neighbourhood House obtaining some items for free and others at low cost.
