Emily Gower and Aaliyah Mouat recently visited FoodCare 3556…
In February 2017 Cathy and Tony started FoodCare 3556 at the Eaglehawk Uniting Church.
Cathy had seen that so many people were going hungry and thought that Eaglehawk would be a great place for the program.
The rise of living costs means more and more people are struggling to keep themselves or their families fed.
With the help of Bendigo Foodshare and Melbourne Food Bank, Cathy set up FoodCare 3556 at the Eaglehawk Uniting church in the old Sunday school rooms with the help of many volunteers.
Fresh fruit, veg and dairy comes from the Bendigo Foodshare and non-perishable food comes from Melbourne Food Bank, along with ready to eat meals.
Fairshare Melbourne makes over 5000 ready to eat meals a day cooked with donated foods from supermarkets around Melbourne.
People that come into FoodCare 3556 are not questioned and do not need to show ID, they are welcomed by Dave, one of the volunteers, at the door.
The people at FoodCare 3556 have noticed a rise in numbers from when they first started to now, with around 150 people coming to access the service each week.
Cathy has also found that a lot of grandparents are looking after their grandchildren for different reasons and are struggling to keep up with the costs of it all. University students can also be short of cash for food.
She encourages anyone in need to come along to FoodCare 3556 and utilise the ‘food pantry’ and ease the burden by getting a helping hand.
FoodCare 3556 is open Tues 1-3pm& Wed from 1.30-3.30pm. Contact 0403 698 715 for more info.
