The Centre, which has campuses across north-east Victoria, is a not-for-profit that empowers local people with skills and connections they need to become more confident, active, skilled and engaged in society through a variety of education and training.
When local business relationship officer Barbara Walker approached The Centre chief executive Sue Geals about the possibility of starting the Food Share in Seymour, it was an immediate yes.
Now, the program operates on the first Thursday of every month, filling one of The Centre’s training rooms with fresh produce from the community garden, and pantry items and staples that have either been donated by locals or acquired from Shepparton Food Share.
Over the past year, cost-of-living pressures have seen demand soar, meaning that the local Food Share is now more important than ever.
“(Demand) is rising,” Ms Walker said.
“Each month, there’s new people coming through and it’s heartbreaking.
“We’ve noticed that in the last few months there’s been an increase in rough sleepers, so we make sure we have things like tinned food that they can just take the lid off and eat straight away.”
Ms Walker said that while the need for support was rising, people often struggled to reach out for help.
“A few people find it really hard and apologise still,” she said.
“We just thank them for coming because if they don’t come, we can’t run it.
“It’s for everyone — everyone’s doing it tough. Even people working are trying to make ends meet,”
The program is operated by The Centre’s staff, who undergo training to ensure that they can support the people who are accessing it.
While names and personal details are never disclosed, Ms Walker said discussions during the Food Share often led to important referrals.
“While they’re waiting, we might be chatting to them and they’ve got another service that they might need,” Ms Walker said.
“We never ask them for details, but we could be having that conversation and then we refer them on to another service.”
The Food Share was able to get off the ground with funding from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
Ms Walker said it was also thanks to the support from the community that it had seen such success.
She said Reach Out Church often donated Coles gift cards for The Centre’s staff to purchase extra items and Seymour Toyota provided the team with a van and fuel to drive to Shepparton Food Share to collect groceries for redistribution once a month.
Community members also donate items through bins located at Coles.
“People are very generous,” Ms Walker said.
“If they buy something, they might buy two of it and just pop one in the donation bin.”
Seymour Food Share runs out of The Centre, at 3 Wallis St, on the first Thursday of every month between 9.30am and 2pm.
In the meantime, people can access free fresh produce from The Centre’s community garden whenever they need it.
More information can be found at seymourcpd.com.au/program/community-food-share-seymour
