A bountiful boon of food, festive cheer and a little bit more has come to a local food relief service this in the Hills this week, just in time for the festive season.
Hand delivering a trailer load of canned goods, the community of Belgrave South Baptist Church has donated over 1550 cans to the Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service Inc.
The church do the drive every year and begin their drive in May as winter sets in, always aiming for around 1000 cans.
Being able to rely on any donation is a blessing to any support service and DRERS is no exception.
Treasurer at DRERS, Kevin Gray said the drive this year also focused on more basic needs at Christmas, with hampers that came with the delivery also including festive food and drinks, along with some small gifts.
“It’s a privilege to help,” he said.
Belgrave South Church is always touched by the generosity of their community that donate to the drive and Mr Gray said there have been quite a few new families attending the church this year.
Dropping the food, soups, pantry staples, little gifts and more to DRERS on Monday 15 December, the non-profit volunteer organisation has been providing emergency relief for those in need in the Dandenong Ranges since 1998.
DRERS CEO Tania Bevan spoke with Star Mail in November and said the demand for food has grown even more sharply.
“There are people in our community that don’t need gifts, they don’t have children or young people in their lives. They just want food to share at Christmas. Socialising with others is a very important part of Christmas,” she said.
Ms Bevan said every person’s situation is unique.
“The thing they have in common is they’re seeking assistance – there’s so many different reasons why people need help,” she said.
From 17 December, the group will also giving out the collected Christmas food and hampers and annual support from organisations like the Belgrave South Baptist Church enables the organisation to continue assisting the vulnerable community.
“The cost of living has affected many people, so we are thankful for any donations and or sharing of our posts,” said the DRERS social media.
If community have any enquiries or want to volunteer queries, you can email enquire@drers.org.au or phone 9754-7777. The organisation is also seeking volunteer drivers to help pick up food on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, with occasional shifts needed on Tuesday and Friday mornings.
Belgrave South Baptist Church are holding Christmas Carols on 21 December and all are welcome from 10am at 167-169 Belgrave-Hallam Rd , Belgrave South.
