Narrabri not-for-profit Shared Table provides free meals and food hampers to vulnerable local people.

The organisation is able to operate thanks to generous donations, which the group’s volunteers distribute to community members.

While the lunchtime group meals have been put on hold due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, the group is still delivering hampers to those in need.

However Shared Table is asking for more local support to keep these efforts up.

Shared Table president, Cecile van Lill, says the ongoing pandemic has caused supply issues.

“We’re running into problems because the food bank in Sydney, which usually supports us with donations, can’t transport the food out to our area,” she said.

“So, we haven’t been able to give out any emergency hampers for at least a month now. We’ve tried to make the most of the food we do have, rationing the portions a little smaller to stretch the produce a bit further.”

In addition to supply problems, a growing demand of locals needing support from Shared Table is making it harder for the not-for-profit to keep up with demand.

“We usually do between 20 and 25 hampers a week, but orders have been surpassing 30 over the last few weeks,” Mrs van Lill said.

“There’s definitely an increase in demand for our services and unfortunately we just can’t keep up with our current supplies.”

Mrs van Lill says lockdown has also impacted Shared Table because it impedes on the abilities of volunteers.

“As well as supply issues in Sydney, lockdown here is also part of the problem,” she said.

“We have 15 dedicated volunteers, from five different churches, and they approach this organisation with a lot of love and compassion.

“They sacrifice their time to help others, but there’s only so much we can do without breaking COVID safety measures.”

With Sydney’s lockdown predicted to ease by mid to late October, Shared Table is counting on the local community for at least another couple of months.

Mrs van Lill says the group has managed to continue offering some food throughout lockdown thanks to generous donations from the local community, but more help is still needed.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the community support Shared Table is already receiving, like the free bread and fresh produce from Coles and Woolworths, which all goes into hampers and passed on to our clients,” she said.

“We’re also lucky enough to receive donations from local gardens, from community members who can’t eat all of the produce they grow on their own like pumpkins, cucumbers and oranges.

“It’s always such a lovely gesture to receive those homegrown donations, and we want to spread the word that this assistance really does make a difference to Shared Table.

“So, to further encourage these community contributions, we’ve set up a donation box at Woolworths that local people can add to, which will really help us a lot during this difficult time.”

If you can’t make it to the donation crate at Woolworths but want to contribute, Mrs van Lill encourages you to reach out to the volunteer team.

“It’s best if you phone us on 0402 654 867 to arrange a time to drop off at the Presbyterian Church,” she said.

“Or, if you can’t do that, we can come to you to pick the food up.

“But our team is here twice a week, so if you’d prefer a contactless drop off, donations can be left on the church verandah, it’s not a problem.”

Mrs van Lill is excited for a post-COVID world, one in which the Shared Table team can resume their regular operations.

“Shared Table is about so much more than food, it’s a holistic support service for those in need,” she said.

“Obviously we do see very hungry people, but most of our clients are simply lonely and need some company.

“We’re excited to welcome a time when we can resume our Friday lunches, because those shared meals really were the high point of many clients’ weeks – they’re really missing the chance to catch up over lunch with other people.

“But we’re still trying to keep up contact as best we can, according to the health guidelines, because those friendly check-ins are so important for people’s mental health.”

And for those people who are struggling mentally, Mrs van Lill explained that Shared Table is in touch with all of the support agencies in town and can refer clients to the help they need.

“We have regular meetings with those local support groups and, if someone needs assistance, we can connect them,” she said.

“It’s just about letting vulnerable people know that we’re there for them.”

See more like this:

To order photos from this page click here