PICAL’s Pantry offers Help and Hope.

Since it’s opening in December 2008, PICAL’s Pantry has helped many of the Phillip Island community’s most vulnerable residents. The Pantry’s purpose on opening was to provide Emergency Relief to those in need. As a result, single parents, couples, men, women and families in crisis have all benefited from the Pantry’s resources.

Crisis comes in many forms and the volunteers that assist in the Pantry have seen most of them. The Pantry has clients that suffer from serious illness, are carers for other sufferers, long term unemployed men and women, with and without children, homeless people, people that have been injured at work, expectant parents and countless others. In this age of the Global Financial Crisis, even people who were once financially comfortable are now struggling and need help occasionally. One single mother from Cowes has told us that the Pantry has helped her enormously in coping with her own financial crisis. “PICAL’s Pantry has provided help when I’ve really needed it.” she said. “I’ve been able to provide my self and my daughter with healthy meals based on ingredients sourced from the Pantry. I am so grateful for the existence of this resource in my community”

That the Pantry exists at all is thanks to the assistance of a number of people and organisations that donate their time, money and resources in order to support this worthwhile and much needed cause. Frozen casseroles are donated by the InterChurch Casserole Bank and PICAL volunteers; bread is donated by Baker’s Delight and dry goods from the VICRELIEF Emergency Food Bank. Although major food manufacturers and most supermarket chains donate goods to VICRELIEF, the Pantry can only access what is available at the time so a regular supply of staple foods such as long life milk, canned tuna, and pasta can not be guaranteed. This means that these foods often need to be provided for with PICAL funds. As the need for food relief is ongoing, and growing all the time, further support would be very much welcomed. PICAL are already very grateful for the support they have received from organisations such as the Phillip Island Uniting Church and the Advertiser, as well as from local residents in the form of food and cash donations. If you would like to add your support to this invaluable cause, you can contact PICAL on 5952 1131.