Food drive aims to resupply charities

Organisations like St Pauls Uniting Church, Anglicare Mackay and the Sarina Inter Church Council give away up to 50 food parcels a week to locals who would otherwise go without.

Council is launching a food drive from the start of Anti-poverty Week (Monday, October 14) to Wednesday, November 13, to help ease the burden on charities.

Mayor Greg Williamson said council was leading the food drive to help local charities which supported those who experienced poverty in our region.

He said the food drive had become a regular council campaign each year.

“Starting from today (Monday, October 14), we are asking for non-perishable food items and toiletries that are in date and undamaged,” Cr Williamson said.

“These can be dropped to many of our libraries or customer service centres.

“After a month, we will then distribute everything to the Sarina Inter Church Council, St Pauls Uniting Church and Anglicare Mackay for distribution to those in need.”

Rev Dr Julia Pitman, minister at St Paul's Uniting Church in Macalister Street, said churches and welfare organisations could always use more food and toiletries to help meet the demand of those in need and to let them know that someone cares.

“Community support allows us to assist people all year round, especially at Christmas when disadvantaged people simply cannot afford the extra food and presents expected at this time of year,” Rev Dr Pitman said.

“For those experiencing poverty, the festive season can be even more of a struggle than day-to-day life, which is hard enough,” she said.

“Every little bit helps, so please give what you can to the drive and encourage your friends and family to contribute. Your gifts not only help the recipients to eat and to maintain good hygiene, but it also sends the message that someone cares for them, which is just as important as the gift itself.”

Cr Williamson said that often many of us envisioned poverty as a purely third world issue.

“Unfortunately, this issue hits closer to home than that,” he said.

“Poverty and severe hardship affect more than a million Australians, and in our region, our charitable organisations are on the front line, reaching a hand out to those who fall on hard times.

“Any support we can lend them goes directly to where it’s needed most.”

You can drop off your food and toiletry donations to any of the following locations:

• Jubilee Community Centre, Council Civic Precinct
• Council Client Service Centre, 73 Gordon Street, Mackay
• Dudley Denny City Library, 134 Victoria Street, Mackay
• Gordon White Library, 54 Phillip Street, Mount Pleasant
• Paget Council Depot, Crichtons Road, Paget
• Sarina Neighbourhood Centre, 65 Broad Street, Sarina
• Mirani Client Service Centre, 20 Victoria Street, Mirani
• Walkerston Library, 9 Dutton Street, Walkerston

This food drive is an initiative of council and is supported by Coles supermarkets.

Photo: Regional Director for Anglicare Mackay and Whitsunday Mr John Langford, St Pauls Uniting Church Minister Rev Dr Julia Pitman and Mayor Greg Williamson.