OUTREACH

FOOD STORE

THE CUPBOARD IS BARE!  The past month has seen an unprecendented call on our food store resources with almost 130 people requesting food. If any organisation, community group or school could assist with a drive to donate some non-perishable foodstuffs it would go a long way to stretching our budget.

One of the main ways in which St. Joseph’s Parish offers assistance to those in need within our local community is via the Food Store. This is located in the Parish Centre at 30 Fitzgerald Street, South Yarra. The Food Store is stocked through individual donations of money or non-perishable groceries and through grants from SWERNI (South West Emergency Relief Network Incorporated) and the City of Stonnington Community Grants Scheme.

Volunteers maintain several roles in the food store. Each Thursday a team of two people collect all unsold bakery items from a local hot bread shop. St. Joseph’s acknowledges the generosity of Baker’s Delight, Prahran Central and thanks them for their invaluable support. These bakery items are brought back to the Parish Centre where they are bagged and stacked in a purpose built freezer located in the wall of the food bank. This freezer provides 24 hour access to bread for anyone in need. Volunteers are also responsible for the purchase of food stocks, cleaning and stacking shelves and maintaining a stocktake. The food store operates with the assistance of the volunteers.