Milparinka has established a free food cupboard/pantry at the front of our Brunswick Site.
Some of you may know about the Annie Borat food cupboard. It was a food cupboard/pantry in Brunswick that provided free food for people in our community who needed it. The people who established this pantry are moving and the cupboard can’t stay where it is. We know many people are struggling at present and it would be extremely disappointing for such a valuable resource to be lost to people in our community who need help with food.
Milparinka is taking the existing Annie Borat cupboard (renaming it as the Albert St Food Cupboard) and setting it up at our Brunswick site. This is something we have been thinking about for a while and when this opportunity came up it was hard to resist. The cupboard will be managed through the SEEDS garden.
WHAT DOES OUR FOOD CUPBOARD DO:
It provides 24 hour community access, for people who need it, to donated non-perishable foods and fresh produce, as well as essential personal care items. We are not inventing anything new here. Food Cupboards are in place all around the world and increasingly in Australia. They are based on the “food is free” movement which is a worldwide initiative that aims to provide opportunities for sharing food with people who are experiencing food insecurity and hardship. It is supported by the practice of “Take what you need, leave what you can”. It also gives us a new way of sharing food grown in our SEEDs Communal Garden. We want to be sure that we are offering people quality food so one of the things we are adding to the cupboard, that wasn’t needed before because it was in a shaded location, are light reflecting panels and a roof. This will keep the cupboard at a temperature that doesn’t allow food to be overheated. |
WHY IS MILPARINKA SETTING UP THIS FOOD CUPBOARD AT OUR SITE. THERE ARE THREE MAIN REASONS:
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DONATIONS:
Donations of food for this sort of cupboard come from lots of places. Sometimes it is donations from a regular place such as a shop or community group, other times it is just people who have some food to spare. Some people specifically buy some small things to contribute when they go shopping and certainly some fresh produce will come from our garden. If you want to donate some food items you can put it straight into the cupboard or leave it the office at our Brunswick or Richmond sites. Before you donate anything please check below to see what we can and cannot accept. If you want to follow what is happening with the Albert St Community Cupboard a bit more closely you can do that by following this link – https://www.facebook.com/seedscommunalgarden. Or maybe you know of an organisation in the community that might like to be involved or donate to the cupboard, these suggestions can be emailed to Jo – [email protected]. |