The food bank, run in conjunction with the Taieri Christian Care Trust, is providing a vital service within the Mosgiel-Taieri area for those whose household budgets fall short of everyday living needs.
Co-ordinator Michelle Kerr said demand for weekly food parcels had grown substantially.
The support the community was providing for the service was ''quite overwhelming, really'', Mrs Kerr said said.
Not only were residents providing a steady stream of food, but businesses were also pitching in and the support from the local service clubs had been tremendous.
The food bank drive before Christmas was a wonderful initiative undertaken by these clubs.
Recently, substantial quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables had been arriving at the food bank door, mostly from the Mosgiel Countdown supermarket, which was conscious of the help the service was providing to those in need.
She and her many helpers had been having difficulty maintaining the freshness of this produce and put out a call for assistance to buy a fresh food chiller, Mrs Kerr said.
The Taieri Lions contacted the Mosgiel District Lions, who were only too happy to come on board for a worthwhile cause.
Both clubs had had a successful year of fundraising thanks to a variety of projects, and were able to provide the $4500 necessary to buy a chiller, which now sits in the reception area of the Taieri Christian Care facility.
The outgoing president of the Mosgiel club, John Elliot, said its members were ''chuffed'' to be involved in raising funds for such a worthy cause, and were keen to continue supporting the great work that Mrs Kerr, her volunteer helpers and the Taieri Christian Care Trust did in the Mosgiel-Taieri area.
- Rob Urquhart
