Christmas volunteers needed to overcome food insecurity
This article was first published in The Melbourne Anglican on 13 December 2024.
An ecumenical Richmond charity that combats food insecurity in the community is looking for volunteers to help at their annual Christmas Day barbecue.
The Richmond Food Centre would be unable to give individuals and families, who struggle to afford food, a special meal on the day without the aid of volunteers.
Run by local Anglican, Catholic and Uniting churches, it provides fresh food, toiletries, nappies, pet food and other essential items.
Manager Francis Flood said the number of households the Centre helped each week had doubled in the last 18 months.
He said many of the people who turned to it for help had jobs but couldn’t make ends meet.
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Community involvement made the centre a success, from volunteers, to school drives, to local congregations that collected food.
St John’s Toorak congregant Jane Anderson began volunteering more than five years ago because she wanted to give back to the community.
“There are more people in need,” she said.
Mr Flood said people found connection, as well food, through the centre.
He said the barbecue was an important social connection for the community so that usually isolated members wouldn’t have to spend Christmas day alone.
The meal was also a celebration of the local area’s diversity with different types of people and different ages.
“It’s probably reflective of the diversity that you’ll see on the streets of Richmond,” Mr Flood said.
The Richmond Churches Food Centre Christmas Day Barbecue will be held on Wednesday 25 December 12pm to 3pm at St Ignatius Hall, 326 Church Street, Richmond.
For more information contact: rfoodcentre@gmail.com or 0493 104 144.
Volunteers from the University of Melbourne at the Richmond Food Centre. Picture: Supplied
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