Pantry4ThePeople: Botany mum Rachael Smith’s inspiring food charity

It started with a tin of spaghetti and an old, rusty cupboard. Now, this impressive community initiative has fed countless hungry mouths and garnered the support of household brands. Meet the inspiring woman behind it all.

Tears flowed down Rachael Smith’s face as she watched the news about the suffering people were experiencing at the height of the pandemic.

With a history of her own mental health struggles, she couldn’t imagine what they were going through and felt an instant urge to help.

“I thought ‘if this was me I wouldn’t know where to start’,” Ms Smith said.

“All these people suddenly found themselves without jobs and needing help for the first time in their lives.”

Drawing inspiration from the Newtown Blessing Box, a pantry offering free food in Sydney’s inner west, Ms Smith used an old cupboard stored in her friend’s garage to open her own version.

Pantry4thePeople founder, Botany mum Rachael Smith, with her creation. Picture: supplied

She placed it on private land in Botany near a cafe, whose owners were more than happy to have it on their land.

And in the midst of the Covid lockdown, Pantry4ThePeople was born. Today, it’s stronger than ever.

The pantry has brought together people wanting to give and people needing help. Picture: supplied

What started with one can of spaghetti has grown into a community initiative where businesses, including Bakers Delight in Eastgardens and Mascot Charcoal Chickens, regularly donate food that’s passed on to those in need.

The rainproof pantry on Botany Rd is open 24/7.

“At the beginning I had so much time on my hands so I got to know people’s stories and why they were there,” Ms Smith said.

“They were mums and dads, uber drivers, people from other countries working in cafes casually and who weren’t eligible for government assistance.”

Kellogg’s Australia recently hired staff to renovate the pantry. Photo: supplied

Ms Smith said she was grateful for the repairs Kellogg’s did to the worn down parts

Soon enough, people began noticing Ms Smith’s good Samaritan work. Last year, she won $10,000 for a Westfield Local Hero award, which she used to expand her charity work.

These days, she works four days a week as a retail worker and spends the rest of her time at the pantry or using her award money to deliver grocery boxes with fresh fruit and vegetables to disadvantaged locals.

That’s when she’s not looking after her two teenage boys.

Businesses donate regularly to the pantry and to Ms Smith’s wider grocery drop-offs. Picture: Instagram

For World Food Day on October 16, Ms Smith was ecstatic to have Kellogg’s Australia give Pantry4ThePeople a huge makeover, after approaching her with the offer.

They employed a carpenter to replace the weathered parts and donated a steady flow of cereal so no-one in the community goes without breakfast.

Ms Smith said the rising cost of living and a hangover from Covid meant people still needed help.

“I’ve met kids going to school without breakfast or elderly people choosing between putting their heater on, eating three meals a day and buying their prescription,” she said.

“One landscape gardener is an apprentice with no support. He earns $520 a week and pays $375 a week in rent.”

“People say no-one is homeless in Botany but you don’t have to be homeless to struggle.”

The Foodbank Hunger Report revealed 47 per cent of people seeking food relief in NSW and the ACT did not get enough for their household’s needs in 2021 — and skyrocketing inflation is only worsening the issue.

Just when it seemed impossible for Ms Smith to do anything more for others, she started travelling to preschools and primary schools to present speeches on generosity and giving to others.

“I am sure I get more out of helping others than anyone I’ve helped,” Ms Smith said.

“The feeling you get is more gratifying than anything else. It’s stopped my mental health from spiralling again because it’s kept me thinking about a bigger world.”