Community
13 June, 2025
Community cupboards help those in need
WITH so many families across the district doing it tough, ‘The Six C’s’ has launched a community cupboard initiative across Moyne Shire.
The Six C’s, a local emergency management organisation, last week announced that it would place community cupboards outside six CFA fire stations across the shire.
The cupboards will contain free essential food and personal items, available to anyone in need, no questions asked.
With the rising cost of living and the ongoing impacts of drought, local families are doing it tough and many are quietly struggling to get by.
Mat Deans and Sue Rondeau, directors of The Six C’s and members of the Winslow Fire Brigade, have seen firsthand how these compounding stressors are affecting the resilience and wellbeing of rural communities.
“As emergency management professionals, we work with communities across Victoria to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters,” they said.
“But we also see the day-to-day battles people are facing; battles that don’t make the headlines.
“This is our way of saying we see you and we’ve got your back.”
The community cupboards will be restocked weekly with non-perishable food and personal care items.
They will be accessible 24/7 and will be placed outside six CFA fire stations so that people can visit without needing to ask for help or explain themselves.
“There are no barriers. If you need something, take it. No judgement. No questions. Just support when you need it most,” Ms Rondeau said.
This grassroots initiative is currently self-funded by The Six Cs and supported by Western District Food Share Warrnambool and the Country Fire Authority,
While the first stage will cover six locations, the team is keen to expand the program if more community or business support becomes available.
The current fire station locations are – Winslow (Church Street), Toolong (Toolong West Road), Caramut (Gibson Street), Ellerslie (Ellerslie-Panmure Road), Nullawarre (Nullawarre Road) and Bessiebelle (School Road).
“We had to start somewhere and while our budget is limited our commitment is not,” Mr Deans said.
“We’re proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our local communities to offer practical help during hard times and we thank Western District Food Share and CFA for supporting us with this initiative.”
