Local community finds 'incredible' solution to cost of living pressures

A small Aussie town has rallied together to make sure no one goes hungry. 

In the small coastal town of Ulladulla, New South Wales, a heartwarming local initiative is helping those feeling the pinch of the ever-rising cost of living.

It's a humble, yet incredible concept, known as the 'Little Free Food Pantry'.

But what makes this one different to other community pantries you may have come across before is that it's actually a free food fridge, meaning locals can get access to fresh food like fruit and vegetables and not just non-perishable items. 

The fridge is run by resident Melissa Smith and her daughter Coralie and is filled with donated goods from either residents or supermarkets.

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Image: Facebook

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"Take what you need - give what you can"

Posting in a local Facebook group that keeps everyone in the loop about what's up for grabs, Melissa snapped a photo of the recently stocked fridge and wrote: "Thanks to Coles Ulladulla the Little Free Food Pantry has been restocked to full capacity again.

"There's sliced loaves (white, wholemeal, multigrain, seeded, supersoft).

"Lots of varieties of sourdough rolls, Vienna loaves, cob, pumpkin, Turkish, pane di casa, olive bread and more...

"Fresh produce topped up: Tomatoes, bananas, pak choy, choy sum, capsicums, silverbeet, celery, green chillis, Chinese broccoli, mandarins, leeks, radishes, oranges, Lombok and more..."

She concluded the post by saying, "Take what you need - give what you can," which is the motto written on top of the free food fridge. 

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'It just goes a long way and helps so much'

Food relief hampers are also put together by Melissa and her daughter to donate to families doing it tough. 

People often take to the Facebook page to express their gratitude about receiving these hampers.

One anonymous woman recently wrote: "No words can describe how thankful we are. We are glad we reached out, we were really struggling but now we are going to be okay."

Image: Facebook

Someone else shared a photo of their hamper and wrote: "A huge thank you to all who donate and give items. Today I was generously gifted these amazing hampers.

"Overwhelmed and greatly appreciated. I have been unwell for two weeks, off work with no sick leave. The variety of items - fresh fruit and veggies, breads, frozen goods, washing powder, toiletries, Weetbix, biscuits - it just goes a long way and helps so much."

Another person shared: "Melissa, thank you for the two boxes of food relief I received today. I could not believe my eyes with how much care and thought went into my hamper. I am so grateful to receive so much care from all involved. You made a poor pensioner very happy and it will last me for a long time."

And finally, someone else posted a photo of more donated goods and wrote: "Thank you Melissa for the awesome hamper tonight, Coles and Woolies and the other generous donors are really making a big difference to locals in need of help. This will really help me so much too."

Originally published as Local community finds 'incredible' solution to cost of living pressures