By Mikayla van Loon
Having followed the Food is Free movement and community pantries that had been set up elsewhere in the eastern suburbs, Pat Natoli and partner Simone Ritchie, started a small pantry outside their house in Montrose.
In just two months, the pair have gone from placing a few canned items in one cabinet to having bread deliveries, flowers and multiple cabinets full of non-perishable items.
“We started off with just putting out some cans and some rice and pasta, and we thought ‘we’ll see what happens’ and then it really took off,” Simone said.
“I think it has taken off during lockdown because more people are out walking and things like that. So a few of the local parents in the area saw it and because their kids are at home and they are at home, they had a bit more time, they got their kids involved.”
The pantry now gets bi-weekly deliveries of leftover bread from Kilsyth Bakers Delight and people have been leaving fresh produce that has been grown in their own gardens which they may have an abundance of.
Pat had been wanting to do something like this for a long time but having been renting until they bought this house meant they didn’t want to start a Food is Free pantry if it wasn’t going to be permanent.
While Covid-19 wasn’t the reason behind setting up the Montrose arm of Food is Free, it was certainly a driver in wanting to engage the community and do something nice for the area.
“It’s a bit of a tough time, we’re in a bit of a tough time and I was donating or giving away my flowers that weren’t being used and I just thought that it was a nice little amalgamation of both of them just to help out a bit,” Pat said.
“It’s not like it’s not a big NGO or anything, but it makes a difference in your immediate vicinity.”
Seeing a gap in community projects, Pat wanted to create something that could grow into a community initiative.
“Montrose doesn’t have a community garden, really. We’ve got the people’s garden but it’s an established thing and people don’t really go there to meet up or do anything as a community sort of thing. So I saw the opportunity to be able to start something,” he said.
And that’s exactly what it has become – a community project that has grown beyond just leaving and taking food.
Children have been making signs and packaging up seeds for people to take home.
“A local mum got her daughter to create little seed packets and drew pictures on them,” Simone said.
“Then Pat had the idea of doing a ‘spot the gnome’ game as well, to get the kids involved. So we bought some gnomes and then dropped them off at local kids houses and they’ve painted them and we move them every week.”
Now the pantry has expanded into a book library, where people can swap books or pick up a lucky dip.
“We put them in the stand and now it’s become a bit of a swap and all that there’s lots of kids books in there now and especially with the libraries shut, I’ve had a number of kids sort of come by and use it as a little library,” Simone said.
The Food is Free movement is all about building community, being generous and giving and receiving.
“I think the main thing that we have sort of started or been stressing to the community is it’s not a charity. It’s not for the needy. It’s just like a pantry for anyone who forgot something or wants to try something different,”
With the help of Naomi Walsh from Food is Free Ringwood East, Simone and Pat have plans to expand the pantry even further, by potentially partnering with Second Bite.
Anyone interested in providing food or getting involved in Food is Free can reach out to Simone and Pat through their social media channels or pop by the Montrose Food is Free.
