The Wandin Food Distribution Program celebrated a year’s worth of support from the Community Bank Wandin-Seville.
Over $12,500 of fresh food has been paid for by the bank’s generous sponsorship which has run for 52 weeks on Friday 12 September.
Member of the Wandin Food Distribution Program Beth Davis said the program was a great initiative that brought food to those who need it.
“We want to be able to help whoever’s in need, it’s important to help people in the community,” Ms Davis said.
Established by LinC Yarra Valley last year and run by volunteers from the Seventh Adventist Church, the service provides fresh food for those doing it tough in the Yarra Ranges.
It runs every Friday from 10.30am at the Wandin Senior Citizens Centre and the fruit is supplied by Seville Fresh Fruit.
Community Bank Wandin-Seville executive officer Leah Thompson said the program has had an amazing response from the community.
“The program is great for the locals in our community and we’ve had really amazing feedback since we commenced our support.
“Originally we agreed to sponsor the program for 12 weeks, but because of the positive feedback our board agreed to continue and now we’ve supported it for a whole year.”
Ms Davis also thanked the Wandin Senior Citizens Club for allowing them to host the service in the club’s hall, free of charge.
“They’ve been fabulous too.”
Ms Davis said the program itself has been made possible by the generous contributions coming from various parts of the community.
“Seville Fresh Fruit supplies the food so they’ve been doing that and they’ve really looked after us.
“We have bread delivered to us from Baker’s Delight, and also we go to Wandin Bakery, and they are so generous,” she said.
Wandin Rotary has also helped by donating frozen meals and even blankets and pyjamas which Ms Davis said is a “real blessing”.
Women’s charity Share the Dignity donates handbags full of hygiene products for women, and Fresh Berry Company in Coldstream has donated trays of strawberries.
It has also given people a chance to socialise and connect, Ms Davis said, and has led to some strong friendships between users of the service and the volunteers themselves.
“They come a little bit earlier… and they chat to each other and they become friends as we have with them. So that’s really nice,” Ms Davis said.
She described how a man named Bob, who has now passed away, would come early because he enjoyed it so much.
“One time Bob said to me, ‘I absolutely hate waiting in queues but I enjoy coming here so much that I come an hour earlier’.
“It was one of the nicest things that’s happened down there.
“They become friends, as we have with them,” Ms Davis said.
The Community Bank Wandin-Seville will continue to support the Wandin Food Distribution Program for another six months.
