What started as a small way of reducing food and flower waste going to landfill evolved into something far beyond Patrick Natoli’s expectations.
Co-founder and president of the Montrose Community Cupboard, Pat was recognised as this year’s Yarra Ranges Council Environmental Achiever of the Year, as part of its Australia Day Awards.
“I was very surprised when I got the call, because I didn’t know I’d been put up for it,” Pat said.
“Of course, I’m very grateful that I’m being acknowledged for this, because it is really lovely. It’s not the reason that I do these things.
“If I wasn’t put up for it by some very lovely and sneaky people, then it’s not something I would have done for myself, but certainly it’s very kind.”
When Pat and his partner Sim started the Cupboard in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic the primary idea was to divert food from ending up in waste bins and enabling people to stop by for any essentials they might have needed.
Working in the flower industry, Pat was also passionate about not seeing flowers wasted, and placed bunches out for free each day.
“It grew through Covid. But I think we were also really lucky to have started it during that time, because of the interconnectedness of the community at that time was a really good jumping off point
“We started this thing where we’re getting gnomes and having kids paint gnomes and, like, move them around the yard. Those little things contributed to the way people view it. Instead of just being a free food thing, it’s a community thing. It is neighbours helping each other.
“I’d say most of the community have a real sense of ownership about it. That’s the number one way that you look after things is you get people’s hearts in it, and you get them to love it and to cherish it, to care for it.”
In 2025 alone, 200 tonnes of food was diverted from landfill, rescued from supermarkets and bakeries and redistributed to the community via the Cupboard, its markets and meals.
“I cannot conceive of how big that actually is…we get five to 8000 kilos of bread a month. That is wild. It’s a crazy amount that would be going to landfill,” Pat said.
With an active volunteer base of 120 people, Pat said that almost tangible impact of reducing landfill was one of the reasons he believed volunteers were eager to help.
“It’s always been about reducing landfill and that is a positive impact, no matter what you do for the cupboard. There is no part of what we do that is causing a negative impact
“They also see a lot of gratitude when they’re at the Cupboard or at the market, or if they’re at our event, people are very thankful. Some other volunteering things that I’ve been to, you don’t get the thankfulness from the community, or you don’t see it immediately.
“Even though we always say it’s mainly about landfill, of course, you have people that come through that might be in a bit of a hard place.
“We’ve had volunteers who have said that they’ve relied on the cupboard at times, and you can see the difference that a bag of stuff can make for people. That’s a really immediate positive change.”
Pat said the gradual and natural evolution to expand from just the cupboard to markets and meals has been grounded in respect, inclusion and connectedness.
“The way that it’s grown into not just a food organisation or a preventing going to landfill type of organisation, the way it’s actually about connecting the community instead, really resonates with me.
“It’s about having a connected community, and knowing all your neighbours, and the community meals are something that I really enjoy.”
Pat said the meals have seen residents from local retirement homes combat their loneliness, enjoy a home-cooked meal and join in with their community.
Volunteers from Montrose CFA are also regulars at the meals, something Pat said “helps build strength in the community”.
“It helps people make friends. It helps people talk.
“We are unapologetically inclusive of everyone. We encourage people to be friends and to be friendly.”
Proud to have grown beyond the single cupboard to be so much more, Pat said Montrose Community Cupboard is still very much built on the foundation of environmental betterment and everything else that has stemmed from it is a bonus.
“We have managed to become not necessarily a hub, but a connection point for a range of different initiatives that are about building resilience through our communities.”
