PEOPLE experiencing food insecurity can find relief at meal and pantry programs at the Eaglehawk and Kangaroo Flat community houses.<\/p>\n
Tracey Moss, who manages both locations, said the meals and open pantries were accessed by a range of people including those with disabilities, carers, and young parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an absolute mix,\u201d she said, \u201cit\u2019s people that are losing hours, it\u2019s young parents, it\u2019s just people struggling with the cost of living and the economics that we\u2019re seeing going on in life these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople can reach out anytime and we\u2019ll help them in any way that we can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Eaglehawk Neighbourhood House hosts a community lunch every Tuesday as well as low-cost pre-cooked meals prepared by volunteers.<\/p>\n
Kangaroo Flats has a community barbecue every Thursday and has a free pantry of staples that can be accessed by anyone in need.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do food assistance here every Thursday,\u201d she said, \u201cwe coincide that with our community barbecue lunch so that people can go away with something in their tummy as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we have a nice open pantry where people can reach out for fresh fruit and veggies and lots of different grocery items.\u201d<\/p>\n
The community houses receive the bulk of the food they use for both houses from Foodbank Victoria, and Bendigo Foodshare contributes to the Eaglehawk house.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t get funding,\u201d she said. \u201cThe focus has gone from supporting this kind of frontline support but we\u2019re still managing to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we survive a lot on volunteer kindness and the genuine hearts of our volunteers supporting their community members.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Moss said she had noticed greater demand for the meal programs in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been seeing a rise for the last two years and we\u2019re connecting with around 600 to 700 people per week at the moment over at the Eaglehawak community house.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s for a mix of things, it is activities, but it is definitely that food assistance, it\u2019s the community meals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Eaglehawk Community House is open from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday and located at 19 Bright Street in Eaglehawk.<\/p>\n
The doors are open at Kangaroo Flat Community house Tuesday to Thursday from 9.30am to 3pm and it can be found at 21 Woolcock Avenue in Kangaroo Flat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PEOPLE experiencing food insecurity can find relief at meal and pantry programs at the Eaglehawk and Kangaroo Flat community houses. Tracey Moss, who manages both locations, said the meals and open pantries were accessed by a range of people including those with disabilities, carers, and young parents. \u201cIt\u2019s an absolute mix,\u201d she said, \u201cit\u2019s people […]<\/p>\n