Mudgee Baptist Church create Mudgee's Pantry to help ease pressure for people experiencing financial stress

After participating in the Combined Churches Community Christmas Day Lunch for numerous years before the COVID pandemic put an end to the event, the Church sought to find a way to help locals in need, thus the creation of Mudgee's Pantry.

In what has been described as a "safety net for people who might be short on money", the Pantry offers a permanent location where locals can access low cost and no cost household staples, bread and produce.

"With what I would guess to be about 200 households in Mudgee and the surrounding areas who would be interested in accessing the Pantry, it meets a substantial need," Mudgee Baptist Church Pastor Aidan Luke said.

"There are other organisations who do things but nowhere has a permanent pantry that will always be stocked and available to those in need."

The Pantry, which will open on March 13, can be accessed by anyone who finds themselves short on money, while donations from others are also accepted.

"People can donate, we don't have a formal process yet but people can pop up to the church to donate things," Pastor Luke said.

"It's open to everyone, you don't have to be a part of the church. We're not planning to vet people in any way. If people want to access the Pantry, we will ask them to register but we're not saying they have to be on a pension card or anything.

"It's really for anyone who is stuck."

Mudgee's Pantry will be open each Tuesday and Sunday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm at Mudgee Baptist Church, 165 Bruce Road, Mudgee.

The first day of operation for Mudgee's Pantry will be Sunday, March 13, 2022.

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