Greater Dandenong Council donates more than 20 tonnes of food to community
Greater Dandenong Council has filled Springvale Town Hall with food, clothing, sanitiser and other essentials for families and individuals struggling through the pandemic. Here’s how they did it and how to access it.
South East
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Greater Dandenong Council has donated more than 20 tonnes of food to the most vulnerable in the community amid the coronavirus crisis.
The council has transformed Springvale Town Hall into an aid distribution centre, to assist the homeless, unemployed, at-risk youth, people seeking asylum, women and youth refugees and people living with disabilities.
In addition about $25,000 of fresh food and materials have also been distributed to 10 local agencies including the Salvation Army and Cornerstone.
Cornerstone chief executive Naomi Paterson said the community was overwhelmed by the support from the council and charities.
“We had incredible support from the council from the start, not only were we able to offer meals to the most vulnerable, we also gave them a sense of community,” Ms Paterson said.
“For people that were already vulnerable this has been a very difficult time, but we are here to support the community and I’m so proud to be part of this,” she said.
Greater Dandenong Mayor Jim Memeti thanked the council, charities and volunteers for their extraordinary efforts.
“We decided to use Springvale Town Hall as it has great facilities, refrigeration and plenty of room to store food,” Cr Memeti said.
“I’ve also had other councils contact us asking how we were able to do this, so we’ve definitely set a good example for other councils to follow.”
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“Our community partners have been very grateful as well as the wider community and we can’t thank everyone enough for their support and efforts during this difficult time.”
Families or individuals in need can access the food and other items by alerting the DHHS to your needs. The department lets the local charities know what is needed and where and the distribute.
To get support, phone: 1800 675 398 or visit: dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.