A generous grant from Lotteries West has helped Pemberton Uniting Church expand their own generous spirit, as they built an extension on their church. The extension will be used to store and pack food parcels for local families doing it tough.
Faye Backhouse, from Pemberton Uniting Church, said that while there is still some minor work to be done, the renovations are a major improvement on what they have been using previously.
“We’ve still got a little bit of painting to do,” she said. “We’ll have a few more busy-bees to finish it off properly.
“All the food is in the new area, it’s out of sight and we’ve got a couple of freezers.”
Barry Scotsman, a member of the congregation, regularly makes the drive from Pemberton to Foodbank in Bunbury to purchase food to make-up the hampers. They are then distributed as needed to people in the local area, including sometimes into Northcliffe.
Food comes from other places too, such as donations by local people and the local community garden, which borrows Uniting Church land. Organisers from the garden have donated their produce to the congregation’s food parcels as needed and as available.
Faye said that need in the community is found through word of mouth.
“Most people know that we do the parcels now,” she said. “There’s always someone out there wanting food in hard times.”
Don Jackson, a member of the congregation, has been the building supervisor for the project and Rev Peter Harvey helped with an application to Lotteries West for the $42 000 grant.
Image: Pemberton Uniting Church and Community Garden.