By Tyler Wright
Despite a recent blow to the Salvation Army Corps Church in Ferntree Gully, the organisation is still giving back to the community after launching an emergency relief food pantry on Wednesday 31 January.
The food pantry will stock canned goods, drinks and snacks as well as non-perishable items like milk and yoghurt in a fridge located on site, with the service accessible to those in need.
Salvation Army Corps Officer for Ferntree Gully, Rosemary Massey, said the idea for a permanent pantry came about after demand soared for an after hours pantry outside the church building which began in May 2023.
“In the past we were able to provide emergency relief to members of our community here on a Wednesday through what was known as our mini market,” Rosemary said.
“The mini market was a wonderful concept that helped people to get some food, much like food hackers on a weekly basis. However, it wasn’t really a great variety and we were seeing the same people every single week and felt that we really needed to [meet their needs] as much as we could.
“[The external food pantry is] accessible 24/7, and we have noticed since May that it’s getting continually used and even more so since these last two months, so much so that we’re now having to stock it twice a day and we’re having four to six people come each day to access that pantry.”
Looking to change the way the church provided emergency relief, and with donated funds from the Red Shield Appeal as well as donated food items from church members, FoodBank and Rotary Club of Ferntree Gully, a new permanent pantry will open at the church on Wednesday 7 February.
Between 9.30am and 11.30am on Wednesdays, visitors will be able to access free food and perishable items, alongside cleaning and personal items.
“Given the way that things are in this day and age, we all know the cost of living is not going down anytime soon,” Rosemary said.
“We’re hoping to be able to provide the best support that we can to make it fair for everyone; we’ve seen people that are not just on Centrelink; we’ve seen people that are also, they’ve got a mortgage and two jobs, they’re just not making ends meet.”
Rosemary said those who visit the church will be given an interview do determine their needs.
“We also have the capacity to hand out vouchers,” she said.
“We can decide whether they need to come weekly or whether they’re actually able to come fortnightly or hopefully monthly, depending on their circumstances.”
It comes as the church is battling extra costs of its own, with its shed broken into mere days before the launch of the pantry and thieves stealing the church’s valuable trailer; used to pick up donations from FoodBank.
During the break in between 6pm on 22 January and 8.30am on 23 January, offenders are also believed to have stolen gardening tools, and a TV owned by a community member stored in the shed.
Rosemary said it was “quite a shock” receiving a call from a local church member alerting her they had been robbed.
“I came down and of course our trailer which is vital for our work was gone,” Rosemary said.
“They tried to take the ride on mower and they couldn’t get it.
“They took two jerry cans of fuel too; and that was very disheartening because we’re here to try and support the community and we rely on these things to maintain our property, keep it looking nice but also the trailer for example where we collect donations and not having had that that was upsetting.”
Unsure of when the trailer will be replaced, the sliding doors to the garage have also been damaged; creating an extra cost.
“[It’s] very discouraging when we see that we’re trying to do the best that we can for our community,” Rosemary said.
Despite the adversity, the church will continue servicing its community “no questions asked”.
“I just want to say a very big thank you to the community for their support in helping us to do what we do,” Rosemary said.
The Salvation Army Ferntree Gully Corps Church is located at 37 Wattletree Road in Ferntree Gully.
