By Tyler Wright
Tecoma Uniting Church will continue their Food is Free program this Christmas as well as its reverse advent calendar initiative after seeing an increase in demand for help due to the cost of living and the Covid-19 pandemic.
An international program sponsored locally by Ranges First National Real Estate, Food is Free is about sharing what you have with others, Tecoma Uniting Church Hospitality Coordinator Sue Brown said.
“People bring their fresh produce, and then can either exchange and take something else, or people donate and then people take who need it; It’s as simple as that,” Ms Brown said.
“In our case it’s grown from just fresh produce to anything from long life milk, sanitary products and lots of fresh fruit and veggies…frozen meals…we have local businesses who donate food.”
Volunteers and local charities also donate food, with items not fit for human consumption used in the church’s compost system.
“It’s really about making sure that the food that is in the community is being utilised so we’re minimising waste,” Ms Brown said.
Food is Free runs 365 days a year, 24 hours a day from the church verandah, with two fridge-freezers and a two cupboards for non-perishables and fruit as well as a Coolgardie safe.
This year, locals can also get involved in a reverse advent calendar and put different items in a box each day of December; including tea, coffee, fruits and vegetables and Christmas treats.
“The goods that are donated will be able to be dropped in the foyer of the church; particularly Tuesdays, Fridays or Sunday mornings are the best times, but if the church is open at any point in time, people are welcome to donate and pop it under the Giving Tree,” Ms Brown said.
“That food can be used for families for Christmas, but also will help us for those first few weeks of January where we have a mammoth demand because everyone else in the area is shut.”
Ms Brown said the church regularly does pickups from Bakers Delight in Upper Ferntree Gully, and there was only one loaf of bread left in her most recent trip on Tuesday 22 November.
“We definitely do see people regularly coming and donating things, but with the increased cost of living and everything that’s been happening in the last year or so, It would be wonderful to have more people knowing about it and donate… people can donate something that they may have in their pantry or some excess produce from their garden,” she said.
Toys and gifts for families and individuals are also accepted, and will be donated to Foothills Community Care.
Tecoma Uniting Church is located at 1566 Burwood Highway in Tecoma.
