Still going strong after 15 years, Byron Bay’s Liberation Larder are making meals, providing food to the home- less and those in need, and saving food from landfill. And it is all done with the gener- ous time and energy of the 40-strong team of volunteers.
In the last year they have rescued 45,408kgs of edible food from landfill, provided 31,170 meals to 6,685 people and given 611 boxes to fami- lies in need.
‘Its not just homeless people who use our service, the cost of living and housing affordability have put all sorts of people on the street,’ committee member Roland Dickson told The Echo.
‘We are finding more and more pensioners, single mothers, and both employed and unemployed people coming to us for help as well as rough sleepers and totally homeless people.’
The service is open on Mondays and Thursdays 7am to 1.30pm at the Byron Community Centre and people can collect meals and produce for free.
People using the service include a 20-year old who is studying and Mrs A who works at a factory six days a week to pay her $700 rent but still finds it hard to make ends meet so uses Liberation Larder to help her through the week and feed her children.
‘We are flood survivors and have had to move a lot and use Liberation Larder for food and veges so we can save money for our son’s ongoing medical condition,’ said Mrs A.
As well as providing healthy meals to people Liberation Larder also sup- port the Bruns Breakkie and Fletcher Street Cottage with frozen meals.
‘We have a seven-day-a- week service that collects spare food,’ said Roland.
‘We are happy to come to local businesses,etc. to collect any edible food they no longer need. Just give us a call.’
To find out more, donate food or volunteer check them out online at: www. liberationlarder.org.
