Need for food assistance grows as service also looks for help

EVERY week a group of dedicated volunteers give up their time to help fill the pantries of families in need in the Portarlington area.
The Portarlington Food Assistance Program (PFAP) operates out of the Bellarine Community Health Centre site in Fenwick Street and has been providing food relief to people in the 3223 postcode for almost five years.
Marg Manning has been coordinator of the program since its inception and says she has mixed feelings about the increasing number of participants who need the service.
“Part of me is so glad that we can offer a service to assist people who need this support, but it also saddens me that there seems to be a growing number of people, often a hidden part of the community, who are unable to manage financially to buy the food they need,” Marg said.
The service is open one afternoon a week using a food points system.
Participants are allocated shopping points according to how many people are living in the household.
The points are then used to access non-perishable food staples such as pasta, rice, cereal, tinned veggies or long-life milk.
“Our participants come in and do their own shopping from the storage cupboards,” Marg said.

“We try to maintain the dignity of choice that everyone has the right to when doing food shopping whether it’s from PFAP or the supermarket.”
The program has assisted more than 200 families since it began, with up to three new clients being seen every week.
Anyone who lives in the 3223 postcode and has any kind of Centrelink Card is eligible to access emergency food relief.
The growing need for this vital community service comes at a time when the program and its dedicated band of volunteers are themselves looking for assistance.
After five years volunteering at the helm, Marg is ready to take a step back, so PFAP is now recruiting for a new Volunteer Coordinator/Administrator to take over the program.
“This is such a rewarding role and I am sure there is someone out there keen to be involved and help the community,” Marg said.
“If you’re great at working in a team environment, have good organisational and leadership skills and a passion for working at a community level to help people in need, then this is a wonderful opportunity.”
A detailed role description is available, and anyone interested should contact Glen Jose on 0421 054842 or email [email protected].
For further information about the Portarlington Food Assistance Program contact either Glen Jose or Leonie Ryall on 0407 969335.