News
9 January, 2025
Put hand up for help in new year
Woodford Community House are encouraging more locals struggling to make ends meet, to reach out for support in the new year, following a 35 per cent increase in Christmas nominations compared to 2023.
This past Christmas, they made up 29 hampers, compared to 17 in 2023, with president Luisa Garcia expecting the demand for hampers and free food to continue rising in this new year.
“I’m sure there are more people struggling out there that don’t put their hand up,” she said.
“A lot of people think we support only the homeless community, when actually 75 per cent of our hampers go to people who aren’t necessarily homeless.
It can be anyone with a house that’s struggling. It can be people who have lived in their own homes for 20 years who might all of a sudden find it tough due to medical reasons or other circumstances.
It’s those sorts of things that are really coming into play, and I think there are a lot of young families coming under that umbrella.”
Aside from food hampers, the Woodford Community House also has its free community pantry, where locals can drop off food items or take some for free if they are needing it, with the pantry being emptied out almost daily at the moment.
“We’ve started saying if someone is taking more than one or two things from the pantry, they need to apply for a hamper because a hamper will give them more than enough food for a whole week,” Ms. Garcia said.
“We are surprisingly still meeting demand thanks to what we get from Woolies and shopping we do, mainly because I don’t think there are enough people reaching out.”
Any locals struggling, needing assistance, or wanting more information about hampers, nominations, and the pantry can visit www.facebook.com/WoodfordCommunityHouse or email woodfordcommunityhouse@gmail.com.
