Community support helps Portarlington food relief service find new home

AFTER more than six months of searching, Portarlington food relief service Food Assist 3223 has found a new home, ensuring support will continue for those experiencing food insecurity in the community.

On Wednesday, the not-for-profit organisation, which has been supporting residents across the 3223 postcode for the past 10 years, began operating out of the former Portarlington Food Park site at 9 Brown Street.

It will serve as a temporary but welcome home for the food relief service, which only two months ago was at risk of shutting its doors to the community for good, after the sale of its former rent-free Newcombe Street site left its volunteers struggling to find a new space to house the operation.

The Brown Street site will provide Food Assist 3223 with a home for the next three years, while its volunteers continue the search for their “forever home”.

While the move has forced the organisation to enter into a commercial lease, a $60,000 grant from Community Bank Bellarine will cover these rental costs for the duration of the food relief service’s stay.

President Prue Drever said the community had been quick to rally around the organisation after learning the critical community service was in “crisis” and thanked them for their donations and offers of support.

“I just love this community and it’s such a privilege to be able to do this and know that it’s so appreciated,” she said.

“The bank has really saved us. Basically, if it wasn’t for them, we would be shutting [our doors]…so I call them our fairy godmothers.

“They really respect the work that we do, and they understand the importance of work we do.”

The new space, which the Food Assist’s volunteers have been working hard to prepare for next week’s open, features a dedicated storage space, office, kitchen and a coffee area with outdoor seating.

“Everyone’s welcome. There’s no shame in needing a bit of food relief now and again. Unfortunately, the stigma remains, but we’re so friendly here,” Ms Drever said.

“I think [the community will] love [the new space], and the fact that we’re going to have [an outdoor area] set up for them so they can come out and sit in the sun if they want to, or sit undercover and have a coffee and a biccy, is just so lovely.”

Local builder Daryl Trewin is among the tradespeople who, at no cost, have assisted Food Assist’s volunteers to ready the new site for visitors, while removalists Rentasaur helped the service officially make the move.

The service is now hoping to find a commercial fridge and small chest freezer.