THE shelves at Canberra’s largest emergency food charity, St John’s Care at Reid, are almost bare and management is reporting an urgent lack of supplies to support an increasing number of people in need.

The charity was in this pre-winter position last year as demand outstripped its ability to supply.

Right now, canned goods, jars of pasta sauce, cereals, mince meat and fresh vegetables are particularly in such low supply that the team says they are beginning to worry about how they will feed the increased numbers of people who require assistance from St John’s Care’s pantry and emergency relief.

“We are insanely busy, we have people lined out the door for our help,” says programs manager, Jason Haines.  

Jason says that the St John’s Care team are now feeding at least 100 families each week, including the “working poor” who are struggling to get ahead.

“The team are now stocking up items such as spaghetti on the pantry’s shelves three times each week, which would have lasted for one week,” he says.

Jason says that it is frightening to think that supplies are so low in the busy pantry, which is run by a small team of staff and volunteers.        

CEO Sarah Murdoch says that donations from the community are critical: “There’s been an increase in the cost of living and as a result, unfortunately, we have had a decrease in both goods in kind and financial donations.”    

Ozharvest is a partner of St John’s Care and recovers food from the major supermarkets for the pantry. As the cost of fresh produce has increased, Sarah says that the supermarkets are decreasing their orders of supplies.

“This has a ripple effect that there is less volume of food that is recovered by Ozharvest and given to our pantry,” she says.

“The cost of meat has also increased, so what we were able to spend each week on meat doesn’t have the same impact as it previously did,” she says.

Jason says that the community can drop off food items and toiletries such as children’s toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant and shaving cream directly to St John’s Care or make a donation through its website.

“Some people generously buy groceries online and arrange for the supermarket to deliver them straight to us,” he says.

To assist visit stjohnscare.org.au or deliver pantry items directly to St John’s Care, 45 Constitution Avenue, Reid.