DISCOUNTED GROCERIES HELPING THOSE IN NEED

Posted on Monday, 29 January 2018
Healthy food is usually one of the first items to be cut from the budgets of struggling families in the face of rising living costs – a Campsie organisation is helping to change that via an
$11,840 donation from Canterbury League Club.
The Staples Bag, an initiative of Settlement Services International (SSI), provides a weekly grocery bag containing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, bread, pasta, eggs and milk at a subsidised price, usually 70 per cent off the supermarket price of goods. There are three different Staples Bag to choose from depending on the family size.
“We currently help over 150 families and individuals every day to access essential low cost groceries including but not limited to low-income earners, pensioners, people with disability, migrants and refugees, single-parents, homeless individuals, vulnerable youth and other groups,” said Leanne Hung, Project Coordinator for SSI.

Since it was launched in October 2015, more than 600 tonnes of food have been distributed to feed over 130,000 individuals and families in NSW.

 

Canterbury’s donation was used to redevelop their current website to make it easier for their clients to order online as well as to purchase a walkie stacker to help move pallets around their warehouse.

“The new website can be expected to launch within the next six months. This will be a great resource to better present and communicate who we are to a wider audience and also include functionality for community building and supplier recognition,” said Leanne.

“Low income families are being squeezed on both ends by high Sydney rents as well as other living costs such as bills so it is wonderful that a service like this exists. Healthy and nutritious food does more than just fill the belly; it keeps the person physically healthy and mentally motivated which has a flow on effect to their productivity at work and minimises their burden to the healthcare system,” said Dr George Peponis OAM, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.