Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (14:51): (973) My constituency question is for the Minister for Carers and Volunteers: how will the Victorian Labor government’s $42,000 community food relief grant for the magnificent Nourishing Neighbours in Merri-bek help support access to much-needed food relief for people in the north? Nourishing Neighbours was founded in 2020 by the incredibly hardworking Vaissy Dasler to provide a wide variety of fresh, appropriate and culturally safe food for those experiencing food insecurity in Merri-bek. Supported by the Pascoe Vale Rotary Club and operating from the old Coburg Special Developmental School site on Gaffney and Bishop streets, Nourishing Neighbours are a proudly 100 per cent volunteer-run not-for-profit who have distributed a total of 700,000 kilos of food since opening – that is 700 tonnes of food – and the equivalent of 1.4 million meals to people in need. Accessible weekly, Nourishing Neighbours’ pantry is always stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables, bakery items, frozen meals, period products, toiletries, baby formula and much more, all kindly donated. I commend volunteers Mary, Rachel, Grace, Melvin, Maryke, Elisa, Laura and David. I went around there with the member for Broadmeadows to announce that $42,000 grant for much-needed new supplies and storage spaces.