Support for food relief program puts people first

22/06/2023

More vulnerable Wodonga locals are being supported through an important emergency food relief program, thanks to Victorian Government investment.

Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development Michaela Settle today visited Wodonga’s Birallee Park Neighbourhood House to view upgrades to the kitchen facilities enabling an expansion of the program. The upgrades are supported through an $11,828 investment from the Victorian Government.

The support has enabled the Neighbourhood House to purchase two new ovens, modern kitchen utensils and improve the storeroom to expand the ‘Our Table to Yours’ food relief program.

The program provides prepared meals for those managing hardship in the community, from people experiencing physical or mental illness, people with disabilities, single parents, and struggling families.

A dedicated group of staff and volunteers meet each week to produce up to 400 meals which are provided to people across Wodonga and the surrounding region. This has now increased to 600 given the funding support.

The upgrades have supported a 10-fold increase in the number of cooked meals provided to the community and attracted a more regular volunteer base due to the ability to have more people cooking together at the same time.

New flooring has been laid in the storeroom which has replaced carpet with vinyl to allow food trolleys to run smoothly and unhindered and more space has been provided to store frozen meals and pantry staples.

Birallee Park Neighbourhood House is an independent organisation in Wodonga that provides programs and services to support community members to make positive changes to their lives, regardless of their circumstances.

This project is part of the Victorian Government’s record investment of more than $41 billion in rural and regional Victoria since 2015.