''A volunteer based center connecting community members with opportunities"
PICAL Pantry
Through our emergency food relief program PICAL provides a vital service to those people in our community experiencing hardship. The Pantry is coordinated by volunteers and relies on donations from local stores such as Aldi, Coles and Food Bank Victoria to support the program. We also receive donations from some of our fabulous local residents and businesses. The Pantry volunteers provide food and staples in the form of meat, vegetables, frozen meals, canned food, grocery items and pet food.
Open Mon - Fri 9am to 3pm
PICAL Pantry Story
Phil Dixon - Founder of the Food Relief Pantry
Long-serving volunteer and committee member Phil Dixon started the emergency food relief service in December 2008, largely in response to the Global Financial Crisis. With the assistance of local churches, Phil organised donations from surrounding Cowes businesses and local supermarkets.
The service has operated continuously since then, with the contribution of many other local groups, banks and community organisations. Since 2008, it’s estimated the service has fed in excess of 10,000 people.
In October 2019, PICAL recognised Phil’s commitment to helping the community by naming the emergency food relief service the Phil Dixon Pantry and presented Phil with a Lifetime Service Certificate. Sadly Phil passed away in 2020, so a plaque bearing Phil’s name now permanently welcomes visitors to the Pantry in honour of her ongoing legacy to the community of Phillip Island.
