Our Community Pantry (OCP) is a sustainable, non-denominational service that counters food insecurity and food waste. Our Community Pantry diverts food, meat, dairy items, household essentials, fruit and vegetables as well as bread and bakery items from landfills and make these items available and affordable for its members.
Bennelong Foundation through its 2020 Pitch In event had funded The Wattle Creek Bushfire Relief’s project run by Our Community Pantry (OCP). This project is a 6-month project that will target those families in the community that have been displaced from their homes or home businesses due to direct fire, smoke or water damage. These families will be able to collect a weekly Family Hamper from OCP which equates to approximately $200 worth of food from a traditional food retail supplier. This allows families in a dignified way to collect their groceries and household items, without being targeted or made to feel that they are accepting charity. Savings made on groceries and household items can then be put towards rebuilding homes and livelihoods.
The Wattle Creek Bushfire was unprecedented in its scale and ferocity. It destroyed many local homes and livelihoods. Many of these families may have been insured to rebuild or refit out the contents a home, however most were not adequately insured to address the other relevant items of rebuilding from a bushfire, such as excavation, clearing, soil testing etc.
Part of the funds acquired from the Pitch In event had contributed in acquisition of a shipping container freezer. This will enable OCP to manage the increasing demand of this project.
This week Freda, our shipping container freezer arrived, and she is getting packed ready for Christmas Hampers! Our app is about two weeks off being launched, we have another outreach site starting tomorrow and we heard back from our council with positive signs that our DA for our new property is coming along, which puts us in place to hopefully move over the Christmas period. This year has been a whirlwind, I am so proud of our achievements and the associations we have made along our journey. Thank you for your faith and support, it is immeasurable the impact you and your team have made upon us, myself in particular.
-Paula Zrilic, Founder OCP