PAMELA Zielke, 57, has seven older siblings and has been a family day care educator in Ngunnawal for 26 years. She’s seen her fair share of second-hand toys.

“I’m a child of eight, I know what it’s like to not have items. I was given hand-me-downs when I was a child and I just enjoyed them,” she says.

In the past few years, especially in childcare, Pamela says she’s noticed beautiful toys seem to be so easily disposable now.

“I just thought no, people can’t throw everything in the dump, we can’t throw beautiful toys that have barely been used away.”

So she created Pam’s Pantry, a street pantry of toys, crafts, books and other accessories for people who may be in need.

“I noticed last year, when the pandemic happened, people were struggling to find presents for their children. I was receiving donations of beautiful toys that you just wouldn’t even think had been played with, and I thought what a great idea it would be if I could pass them on.”

A kind lady donated a shed once she learned what Pam’s intentions were and it just got bigger and bigger.

“We put all the donated toys in there and all these families were coming, families from bad situations, and families in good situations would bring in more toys, it was like a toy library.”

If someone is in need of more than crafts, books and toys, Pam sends them to a neighbouring street to seek out Lee Tammy and her Dignity and Desire street pantry.

“Lee fills the gaps in my stock and I fill the gaps in hers, she’s an amazing and lovely person,” says Pam.

Lee Tammy’s pantry contains clothes, nappies, toiletries, food and she makes care packs.

“It’s a bag or handbag and we fill it with all the essentials that people don’t have because they leave [home] in a hurry and some of them have nothing,” says Lee.

Both Pam and Lee have a Christmas appeal going on their Facebook pages, asking for donations of specific gifts and food in the lead up to the holiday season.

Between them, they helped more than 100 people last year for Christmas with food hampers, stockings and goodies for children and presents for carers, parents and everyone else, and the demand has grown this year.

Lee is having up to 15 visitors a day using her pantry and, so far, she’s providing 65 gifts for children.

“There’s going to be last-minute people that come in and I’ll help as many as I can, if there’s gifts left over then there’s always someone who needs them,” says Lee.

She’s finished making 20 gifts so far and “still has so many to do”, with an aim of 15 food hampers and 80 gifts.

Pam has her own set of presents to put together, for 29 women, 44 children and 10 men, but she’s receiving between 10 and 20 messages each day asking for presents, food and clothes for the Christmas period.

“Lee and I did hampers and Christmas-present wrapping until 7pm on Christmas Eve last year,” says Pam.

Forty families that Pam helped over Christmas in 2020 have returned to her pantry recently to say thank you, and to offer their own donations for the families who are in need this year.

“The most rewarding part is giving back, putting a smile on someone’s face, seeing the tears of joy when the person gets what they need, that’s really rewarding,” says Lee.

“No one will go without, not if I can help it,” she says, and Pam agrees.

“I just love seeing them smile and seeing the relief, seeing a parent who has come here and you see the tears and the stress go away.”

Pam’s two granddaughters Ayla, four, and Sophia, two, love to help.

“Ayla says Santa Claus helpers are the best and she says I’m his helper. She’s got the spirit of Santa, but she knows he needs some help,” says Pam.

“Tell everybody to have a lovely Christmas because we really need it this year and just keep giving.”

Donate or receive donations from Pam’s Pantry, 34 Bargang Crescent, Ngunnawal, or the Dignity and Desire Pantry, 37 Jabanungga Avenue, Ngunnawal.