JJ’s Community Support calling out to locals to back its community pantry

JJ’s Community Support has launched its latest Community Pantry in North Melbourne outside hostel Melbourne Metro YHA.

Situated at 78 Howard St and accessible since January 24, this is not the first pantry for the community group which has another 22 noted on its website.

But it is a vitally important one according to JJ’s Community Support president Jesse James Argent.

Currently working at Melbourne Metro YHA, Mr Argent said more support for the inner suburb and CBD locations was needed and the new pantry would “help address a missing resource” in the area.

“Melbourne Metro YHA’s ethos and operations are completely different to a backpacker business in the fact that they are a not-for-profit and accept children and families, all the while focusing on sustainability and the environment,” he said.

“I thought this would be the perfect collaboration to open another pantry here to help support those in need and struggling, while tying in with the focus for YHA.”

Creating the JJ’s Community Support group with a mission to grow the community spirit and support one another while maintaining family values, fun and excitement, the latest pantry has reached out to local volunteers to be a part of the project.

Connecting North Melbourne residents with other locals in need is what Mr Argent said was the “epitome of the project.”

“I feel that a community pantry is best run in collaboration with locals in the community who know the area, because we can cater to what is needed in the community,” he said.

While the first couple of weeks have been a bit “slow”, word has been getting around about the pantry, and Mr Argent said it had been getting busier.

But call outs for more donations and businesses to get involved has been a priority.

“At the moment we are looking for people to get involved in donating supplies, maintaining the pantry, helping with pick-ups of supplies if we get businesses on board and looking for someone to help with Facebook and sharing it around,” he said.

We need to get the word out to those in need.

Businesses and volunteers in North Melbourne wanting to get involved with the Community Pantry project can reach out to JJ’s Community Support through its dedicated Facebook page •