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1000 Helping Hampers Distributed to Melville Residents

Published Date: 12 December 2008, 12:00 AM

The City of Melville Citizens Relief Fund Inc recently reached the remarkable milestone of packing its 1000th recorded food parcel for the Fund’s Community Foodlinks program.

The Fund’s mission is to direct community resources to provide help to people in need within the community. Last financial year, it distributed 212 Community Foodlinks parcels, estimated to be worth more than $8,500, in addition to 87 Christmas hampers, valued at $3,680. A $10 voucher to be spent on perishable items usually accompanies each Community Foodlinks parcel.

The chairman of the Relief Fund is Cr Clive Robartson OAM, who established the Fund in 1982. The Fund is now in its 27th year of operation, with the Community Foodlinks program having been introduced more recently. Run and managed by the community, the Fund includes Robert (Bob) Street as deputy chairman and coordinator of the Community Foodlinks, ably assisted by Dawn Street who is the Fund’s secretary/administrator.

Bob Street has been involved with the Fund for more than 20 years and Dawn Street for 10 years. They were voted 2007 Melville Citizens of the Year in recognition of their ongoing and varied community service. Their work for Community Foodlinks involves collecting and packing food gathered from collection bins at Coles in Booragoon and Kardinya. The pair said they were grateful to Coles; as well as Bull Creek and A.H.Bracks Libraries for providing food collection points at these locations; committee members Lindsay Wyatt (a former councillor) and Peter Adams for the servicing of these outlets; and member Lois Buckett and Gwen Stagg for delivering the parcels.

Mr Street said they also wished to give a big thank you to the people who donated food, especially those who did so on a regular basis. “Without them, this doesn’t exist,” he said.

Cr Robartson said the Fund had distributed more than $350,000 in emergency financial assistance to people in need since it started. He believed it had been particularly successful because of the City’s support. “The backing by the City has enabled the Relief Fund to attract annual federal emergency relief funding and also annual financial assistance from LotteryWest,” he said. “The City of Melville also provides an annual assistance grant.”

Potential food assistance is assessed by the City’s Emergency Relief Officer when interviewing persons requesting financial assistance.