Specifically, let’s talk about the McCracken Street Food Share Pantry and the little “urban myth” that has developed around it.
Every few months, there’s a flurry of chat in a certain social media group about someone “clearing out the pantry”, or “taking more than they need”. Given that Kensington is essentially a small village, these comments spread like wildfire and all of a sudden people are reluctant to donate to the pantry because they fear it is mis-used.
Believe it or not, social media is not a great reflection of reality. Online, there is no room for nuance or complexity.
Here’s an alternative picture: Five days a week, I sit at my desk looking out onto McCracken Street. All day, every day, multiple people visit the pantry – both collecting and donating food. The pantry is visited by 100 people a week and filled and emptied several times a day. There are conversations between pantry volunteers and visitors. An older resident is thrilled to find a tin of Nescafe. A pre-schooler stands on tiptoe to add items to the shelves.
Last year, community members and local businesses donated over 6,200 items to the pantry. We added 4,650kg of food from Food Bank Victoria and over 1,000 loaves of bread from local supermarkets. Not to mention the 4,407 pet meals donated by Pets Of The Homeless.
Here are some things you won’t hear about on Facebook:
The elderly Chinese lady who visits the pantry regularly and once a week asks for a broom to sweep our front verandah. It’s her way of giving back;
The little girl who has been donating to the pantry with her grandma since she was a baby. She likes to fill the shelves one item at a time.
The many isolated single men who visit the pantry to chat to KNH staff and feel connected for a few moments.
At the McCracken Street Food Pantry there is no stigma and no shame. People are able to maintain their dignity and their privacy. They can choose what they need. Just as others can choose what to give. This is in contrast to many food programs where people are required to prove their “neediness” .
Here at KNH, we believe that when you give, you give freely. This extends to the pantry. It is not our place to dictate who should take food or how much they should take. Just as it is not our place to determine who should donate or how much they should donate.
Do people clear out the whole pantry and leave nothing for others? Sometimes, but not often.
To avoid this scenario, we try to leave minimal stock overnight and on weekends. If large donations are received, we store them in our office and drip feed items to the pantry so they are equitably distributed.
It’s not a perfect system but it’s good enough. The pantry continues to have a positive impact in our community. It’s a beautiful example of community work – brought to life by energetic volunteers and kept alive by the generosity of locals. Nice work Kensington!
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