Breaking hunger cycles: Logan’s free supermarket’s lifeline for desperate families
The shelves have been restocked after being stripped bare at a free grocery store, which opened in the heart of one of the state’s poorest communities last week.
Logan
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Desperate families have been given a boost with a community-based organisation opening a grocery store where all items are free.
Hundreds lined up outside Logan’s newly opened Serving Our People centre at Tudor Park, Loganholme, depleting the service’s entire stocks on day one last week.
Since then, more than 600 have been through the store in two days to pick up free grocery items including bread, fruit and vegetables, and up to seven pantry items which include rice, long-life milk and biscuits.
Each shopper can also select up to three frozen meals.
The store opened as startling statistics from food relief organisation SecondBite revealed many Queensland parents were skipping meals on a weekly basis to make ends meet.
More than 3 per cent of parents surveyed said they were forgoing up to 10 meals a week.
Tanah Merah resident Tom, a single father of two, said he picked up some apples, rice and a meat dish when he visited on Thursday.
“I had heard about the shop but did not believe it,” he said.
“It meant I could cook fresh meals over the weekend and spend the money I saved on the kids.”
There are no conditions on who can shop at the store, set up by businessman and former real estate agent Yas Daniel Matbouly.
“From our first days operating the Logan store, we calculate we have helped about 1400 people over the past week,” Mr Matbouly said.
“That is still growing and every second of the day more and more people are turning up, which will mean we will require around 70 volunteers a week.
“We are working closely with Logan City Council and with federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers and we expect to open our next charity store at Inala before Christmas if we get the right support.”
Serving Our People chief marketing officer Brigid Davey said Logan was selected because of ongoing cries for help from the area.
Ms Davey said she was shocked that shelves were left bare on the first day.
“We decided to extend our operations from the Gold Coast to Logan after we opened a popup free shop at Yarrabilba in September,” she said.
“We knew there was massive demand from Logan because people were travelling to our Gold Coast store to get items.
“We are only open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the moment because we need more volunteers and supplies – but with federal funding, we plan to operate every day.”
The venture was lucky enough to join a partnership with Kingston East Neighbourhood Group, which has allowed the store to operate for free from the Tudor Park premises.
FREE SUPERMARKET
WHEN: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am to 3pm
WHERE: Located: Kingston East Neighbourhood Group, Tudor Park, 71-81 Clarks Rd, Loganholme.
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