Global Care Bundaberg – The Citicoast Pantry: Nourishing Bundaberg’s community, beyond the plate

In a city known for its famous ginger beer, rum, and sugarcane, a silent epidemic is happening. Hunger.

Fighting this unseen epidemic is The Citicoast Pantry, a not-for-profit initiative of the Citicoast Church and Global Care. Their goal is to love and support the local community of Bundaberg. They’re doing exactly this through their storefront that stocks a wonderful variety of low-cost groceries and household supplies.

This low-cost grocery space has no barriers to entry, everyone and anyone is welcome to shop at The Citicoast Pantry. Each week, great savings and weekly specials can be found on a variety of groceries and fresh produce. To stock this pantry, The Citicoast Pantry works with a number of food rescue organisations and local businesses. One such organisation that has been there from the start is Foodbank Queensland.

In 2011, following the devastating floods that impacted the Bundaberg region, many displaced residents were in desperate need of assistance. Citicoast Church came to the rescue, providing food and shelter for many.

“Citicoast was one of the major points of operation as far as getting food and necessities out to families that were displaced from the flood. At that stage, we were solely operating out of the church. We opened the church and cleared out the pews. We put food out on tables every week.“ – Pastor Adam 

During this emergency, Foodbank Queensland was pivotal in supporting Citicoast with the products their community desperately needed.  After seeing an ongoing need in the community, Citicoast Church decided that the Bundaberg community needed, “something substantial and permanent.” – Pastor Adam

And so, The Citicoast Pantry was officially created. After renovating their shed, The Citicoast Pantry is a place where individuals and families can shop with dignity while grabbing some incredibly low-cost groceries. Store Manager Charissa explained:

“Our approach ensures that people have access to food without relying on handouts. This helps to restore dignity while also filling a need. Offering food at a low price not only improves their well-being, but also helps them save money, meaning they can afford more expensive items when needed.” – Charissa

Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 10am to 2pm, The Citicoast Pantry serves over 100 people per day, but this figure is rising. They have steadily seen an increase as the cost-of-living pressures continue to impact people who have never felt the pinch of their wallet before, Charissa explained:

“Many families are facing challenges right now, especially those with school-aged children, who are struggling these days due to a lack of support.” – Charissa 

The Citicoast Pantry also supports Foodbank Queensland’s School Breakfast Program. This sees The Citicoast Pantry collect school breakfast staples such as cereal, tinned fruit and UHT milk from Foodbank Queensland. Schools across Bundaberg collect these products from The Citicoast Pantry for their School Breakfast Program’s to ensure that students start their day with a nutritious meal, promoting better focus and performance in their studies.

On top of this, the Citicoast Pantry provides 40-50 emergency hampers per month, for individuals and families who are in desperate need. These hampers hold not only food and essentials but also hope. The hope that with a full stomach, and one less thing to worry about, individuals and families can get back on their feet.

That’s exactly what service users of The Citicoast Pantry are achieving, with many coming back to share with Charissa and the team how they have helped.

“We were able to provide ongoing food support to a gentleman throughout his struggling years, and he is now returning with friends. He’s secured a house and has said to us, ‘I’m going keep shopping with you and I’ll continue to support you for all that you have done for me.’”- Charissa

This service provides both food and connection for many throughout the Bundaberg region. As Pastor Adam expressed, “It gives us inroads into lives that we might not have had access to without the food. Offering someone a helping hand and putting something in their fridge for them, is a connect point.”– Pastor Adam

Many service users The Citicoast Pantry is now servicing are homeless or homeless insecure who are in jobs and are working but are still unable to meet the increased rent. On top of this, the rental crisis in regional Queensland means there are just not enough houses available to rent. To make ends meet, Citicoast Pantry is doing all that they can to help the Bundaberg community. By supporting Foodbank Queensland, you are also supporting organisations like The Citicoast Pantry, as Charissa explained:

“We get to see the tears of relief when people realise they can access affordable food at The Citicoast Pantry. Without the donations to Foodbank, many people would have nothing on their table most nights. We see it in their faces, it truly means the world to them.”– Charissa

As the demand for their services grows, Foodbank Queensland calls upon Queenslanders to join the fight against hunger. Through regular giving and support, together, we can ensure no one in Queensland goes without a meal.

If you are in a position to help Foodbank Queensland provide more food across the state to support Queenslanders in need, please consider joining the fight against hunger as a regular giver.