Christmas call for community food drive

WITH the holiday season getting closer, management behind the Meredith Community Centre are calling on people to donate food and essential items for people doing it tough.

The organisation’s second annual Christmas food drive initiative launched on Tuesday last week, and centre manager Leah Phillips said they’re asking for everyone to give what they can.

“We’re looking for Christmas foods, toiletries, non-perishables, anything people can spare, really,” she said.

“We’ll ask people to nominate families that might be in need and I’ve already got families on my list that we already help so hopefully we’ll have a decent number of items to deliver.”

Items such as in-date Christmas foods like puddings, cakes, pies, and shortbread, as well long-life creams and custards, to snacks, to tinned goods, meats and sauces, and prepared meals can be donated.

Once collected, the items will be bundled into hampers and delivered a few weeks before Meredith Community Centre’s Christmas food drive debuted last year thanks to the introduction of the Meredith Mart food support space.

The inaugural holiday initiative saw 13 hampers donated to people doing it tough.

“We’re hoping to be able to donate more hampers this year,” Ms Phillips said. “We received some cash donations and a huge box of food on the first day which was really heartwarming.

“Last year, people especially donated a lot of bulk items. They’d usually buy something for each hamper and everybody got the same items between them.

“We’re also hoping Foodbank will do their usual Christmas items so they usually put those out in November for us to purchase.”

The Bannockburn Men’s Shed donated Christmas trees and lights as part of last year’s initiative though it’s yet to be confirmed whether the same will occur this year.

Items can be dropped off at the centre, at 4 Russell Street, during operating hours from 9am to 3pm Mondays to Thursdays, or by appointment. The food drive will run until 1 December.