Ivy Pasi works part-time with the Department of Immigration and receives a disability pension, but her income is not enough to cover her groceries.
The resident of Lalor Park in Sydney’s west helps make ends meet by coming to a free meal service run by the charity Carevan Blacktown.
“I think it saves me maybe hundreds over the year,” Ms Pasi said.
She is one of what the charity says is an increasing number of people seeking support who have a small income.
As well as free meals she has also picked up donated clothing, including a furry jacket.
“I got it here during winter time so I saved a lot of money,” Ms Pasi said.
Ms Pasi comes to Carevan Blacktown’s Tuesday service weekly. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
Ms Pasi is one of 160 people who come Carevan’s dinner service every Tuesday.
Last week diners were served a sausage curry, vegetarian fried rice, and a fresh garden salad.
The charity started as a mobile food service run out of a van in 2013.
It now offers a weekly wide-ranging service out of a community hall in Lalor Park.
Volunteers prepare hot meals and give out hampers and donated clothes to people in need.
Donated clothes are washed, sorted, and then handed out at the weekly service. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
Occasionally the service includes free furniture, haircuts, and health tests including flu vaccinations.
“For me, it’s just really helping out my fellow community members,” Carevan Blacktown chief executive Andrew Scott said.
“Last year we provided 16,000 meals. But on top of those meals we provided eight tonnes of clothing [and] 300 furniture items.”
“What started as … quite happy to feed five or six people has become quite a full-time operation.”
Mr Scott said more single-income families were turning up asking for help as the cost of living rose.
Hot meals and food hampers are served at the weekly event in Lalor Park. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
“About 20 to 30 per cent of our patrons have at least one small income coming in,” Mr Scott said.
“The demographics of our clientele has certainly changed. It’s more family orientated now, which is very sad.”
“[Through] us, if they walk away with a takeaway meal for everybody and a bag of groceries that will get them through a couple of days, it just makes a difference.”
More families are turning up for food relief, Carevan Blacktown’s CEO says. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
Hundreds of charities being supported
Carevan Blacktown is one of about 700 local charities around the country that Foodbank supports by providing food donated by supermarkets and growers.
The food is used in hampers given out on Tuesday nights and delivered the next day to those who cannot get to the event.
Foodbank supplies including fresh fruit, vegetables, and tinned food are put into hampers. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
Mr Scott says Carevan Blacktown gets two pallets of food every week from Foodbank.
“Without Foodbank we wouldn’t be able to provide half the meals that we do,” Mr Scott said.
Andrew Scott says they wouldn’t be able to serve half the meals they do if it were not for Foodbank’s supplies. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
Foodbank says about 250,000 kilograms of food is shipped out from their warehouse in Western Sydney every week, or the equivalent of 450,000 meals.
“This is made up rescued food that would have otherwise gone to landfill, food donations from supermarkets and suppliers, and food that we purchase,” Foodbank chief executive John Robertson said.
“[We] ensure we always have enough of everything our communities need on our warehouse shelves.”
ABC Gives is partnering with Foodbank to bring attention to food insecurity and raise money to support their efforts.
Mount Druitt’s Seventh Day Adventist Church also receives food deliveries from Foodbank which are prepared into hampers given out to those in need twice a week.
When ABC Radio Sydney visited, all 33 of their hampers which each contained the equivalent of $100 of groceries were handed out within 5 minutes for $10 each.
Mount Druitt Seventh Day Adventist volunteers hand out hampers including produce from Foodbank. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
“People say they can’t afford food and that’s why they come along here,” said Farrel Steyn, who volunteers at the food pantry.
“Cost of living is the biggest problem.”
Bringing community together
Lalor Park resident John O’Brien comes to the Carevan Blacktown event regularly to pick up some things for his grandchildren so they have something to put in their lunch boxes.
He said Carevan Blacktown made a difference in his community.
As well as the free meals and clothing he said it also brought people together.
“We like the company. We have a bit of fun down here,” Mr O’Brien said.
John O’Brien says Carevan Blacktown is making a difference in the community. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)
Ms Pasi agreed that the best thing was how Carevan Blacktown made her feel at home.
“My favourite thing is making friends. I’ve created a lot of friends over the years,” Ms Pasi said.
“The [Carevan] staff members are very good. They work from their hearts.”
