Charlotte Varcoe
TRANSPORTATION between ac.care’s community centre in Mount Gambier/Berrin and Foodbank has been made easier.
A new initiative has been introduced at the centre providing free trips for community members who need to access Foodbank’s service.
ac.care linker project manager Jenni Doody said the initial idea came about after community member feedback highlighted difficulties accessing the service.
“Public transport is not the greatest in Mount Gambier and Foodbank is not accessible by public transport either,” Ms Doody said.
“We are still getting the service off the ground but we still need exposure to let people know it is available but we are also trying to expand on the service a little bit and will start doing a run to the marketplace on Tuesdays because again that is a bit out of town and can be hard to access.”
After conducting research, Ms Doody discovered other organisations provided a similar service but at a fee which made it difficult for people to use, prompting the free service.
“We are going to persevere with it because we only have a few people using the service at the moment but the need was expressed,” she said.
“A lot of people will often commit and make a booking but something else will come up but we are just going to persevere with it and make sure there is exposure about it and let people know it is there.”
Ms Doody said with the “face of homelessness and poverty” changing there were more and more people coming into the centre needing the service.
“It is no longer what it was two or three years ago and the staff at Foodbank are amazing,” she said.
“Foodbank is far away from the closest bus stop and it is difficult for people to carry their groceries that far especially if they have children so I really hope we get more people on board and aware of it.”
Ms Doody said it was not until she began her role at ac.care that she realised transport was a “real issue” in general.
“Not everyone owns a car and Mount Gambier is not great or accessible for public transport,” she said.
“It is looking at that gap between people needing food and having the voucher but not being able to get there and we do think the transport could be utilised for other things in the future but we need people to come in here and let us know about it and book the transport.”
Ms Doody said it was also about “breaking down the walls” of the circle of poverty and social isolation with many people becoming “self absorbed” in their own lives and not leaving the house, leading to social isolation.
ac.care community program coordinator Shauna Wood said the feedback about the bus service was so far positive with many people looking forward to coming to the centre for a range of other activities.
“I know a few people who have been using it quite regularly and they think it is a great service and especially as our driver will take them to their house after their trip to Foodbank so they do not have to carry their groceries from the centre,” Ms Wood said.
“People do have to meet at the community centre at this stage and without this service people would not have been able to get out to Foodbank so it has really given them that outlet to use the service it is made for.”
She said community members needing the transportation service were encouraged to book through the community centre which could also organise vouchers if needed.
Alongside the bus service, the community centre was known for hosting a range of other enjoyable activities and opportunities as well as coffee, toasted sandwiches and food available throughout the day.
“There is a lot of laughter and good fun and people really look forward to coming in here so we want them to also look forward to being able to go into Foodbanka nd use this service because they can get a lot with the vouchers,” Ms Wood said.
People needing a voucher or book the bus service are able to do so by contacting the ac.care community centre on Ferrers Street.
