Greeting’s Pantry Peep’s & Supporters.
Last week in our “We Measure Connections - Pantry Post’we shared some of the powerful stories we hear each week about how food works to fulfill our purpose of creating and sustaining local communities of care.
https://essendonbaptist.org.au/blog/article:pantry-post-we-measure-connections
As promised in this weeks ‘Pantry Post - Mid Year Impact Report’, we share more of the hard data measures for each of the five ingredients of the simple (age-old, common, human, multi-faith) recipe which we call ‘Our Pantry Salad’: 1.Rescue waste, 2. Share food, 3. Create work & rest, 4. Connect neighbours & 5. Celebrate culture.
This year cost of living pressures have arisen again and we have struggled to respond to strong increases in demand shaped by rises in interest rates due to inflation and in particular petrol prices in response to Middle East conflict. For a while there it looked like the home delivery model that kept us open back in the pandemic crisis may be the thing that costs us most is this changing season.
Just last month alone we talked to 16 different food charities, churches and community groups to compare notes and assess real needs on supply, demand, criteria and sustainability. We invest in this because, whilst we want food sharing and waste reduction to grow, we never want charity to be a growth industry and want to transform and end peoples poverty, not to feed off it.
Despite being busier we have managed a refresh of the peoplespantry.org.auwebsite and to launch a proper social media presence.
https://www.instagram.com/pplspantry/
We have increased our connections with participants, volunteers and supporters through our What’s App Community Groups
https://chat.whatsapp.com/JNS3xgKT2SEAKAkRCBCsWA
and these Pantry Posts.
https://essendonbaptist.org.au/pantry-post
Another highlight was our inaugural ‘Open Table’ interfaith meal in which we hosted the Mayor and other local leaders out of connections made at our Beer and Carols fundraiser after the Bondi massacre last Hanukkah.
We are so grateful to all the participants, volunteers, businesses, churches and community groups that donate food, time, money and energy to ‘save food and share joy’ in ways that we think make People’s Pantry a place not of scarcity but of an abundance that we regularly get to call ‘the best party in town.’
Of course a short term period of growth of 15% plus is challenging for any organisation let alone one whose revenue is based on generosity and donations. At this End of Financial Year we wanted to remind you that financial donations to Peoples Pantry are tax deductible via peoplespantry.org.au, and regular giving helps us plan for the months ahead.
Thanks for your part in the impact of the numbers shared here.
Peace, Salām, Shalom.
Rev. Marcus, Tim & all The Pantry Peep’s!
