Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Emerald resident Jacqui Townsend has been the bright face of the Dig In Community Grocery, a not-for-profit, totally off-grid initiative run by Emerald Community House.
She has been working in the grocery shop for nearly two years and said the existence of the store has been immensely rewarding for her and the community.
“I love my job, because I’ve met so many great people, everyone is really appreciative – it’s just a really good and nurturing relationship between customers and the shop,” she said.
Stocking local produce every week straight from the farm or the ECH gardens, there is also a free food section and bread donations from a local bakery and the local Woolworths.
Commonwealth Bank owns the building but ECH restored the derelict site about six years ago to bring it back into the public view and celebrate its heritage value.
In 2022, it was named as a finalist for the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards.
“We’re off grid, we’ve got no electricity, just solar which is just amazing,” she said.
During the storms, when most people in the community had no power, the Dig In Community Grocery helped many people whether it was charging their phones, warming their food and a few even brought their food to be stored in the shop’s fridge.
“People came in for help and they wanted to talk about their experiences, it really was great, the way it brought everybody together,” Jacqui said.
“We were able to continue operating because all of our supplies are local and I was able to get everything that we sell here.”
Located in the century old National Trust listed bakehouse, the Dig In Community Grocery in its prototype sought to bring a fair trade between growers, producers and the customer two years ago.
No special Code of Behaviour was required. ECH purchased food from local growers for resale in the grocery to provide healthy food access, sustainability and food security in the Emerald area.
“It’s a really friendly little store, one lady said to me that she won’t shop at the other supermarkets because she doesn’t feel comfortable going in there, only feels comfortable coming here; and that made me feel really sad for her but good that we’re providing somewhere where people feel safe and feel comfortable – they [customers] all talk to each other,” she said.
“It’s got a really good atmosphere, we’re proud of that.”
Over 50 per cent of Victorians are now suffering the biggest jump in financial distress as the cost of living soars.
The financial crisis has overtaken the community’s ability to purchase enough food and still pay bills, rent, mortgages, insurance and other expenses. This has highlighted the demand for a free food grocery model to support community needs.
“I think people might find it a little confusing, because some people look at it and think, oh, it’s only for poor people, they don’t want to go in because they can afford to buy food elsewhere, that’s not the case,” she said.
“If people come in here, they’ll realise that we have really nice organic, fresh produce and you can actually support the shop by buying something – but if you are doing it tough, grab something free.”
While the pressure is on for the Victorian government to provide cost of living relief, free food enterprises are not funded activities. Meanwhile, ECH has to work harder at sourcing food for free to pass on to the community to assist with the negative aspects of financial and mental health stress.
As a free food resource, ECH manager Mary Farrow said the Dig In Community Grocery will continue to support broader community needs, including internet access and off grid power support during extreme events, volunteer development, resilience building activities and community connections.
Those community bonds are extremely important to those who provide the Dig In service to the community.
“I know all the customers here, they are regulars,” Jacqui said.
The store has a sitting area with chairs and table for the community to use.
“I tell everybody to come and use the garden, it’s a nice and hidden away area to sit rather than being in a staff room,” Jacqui said.
This little gem of the community is also pet friendly.
They are open on Wednesday to Friday from 9am to 4pm and on Saturday from 9am to 2pm.
