01/10/2026
Celebrating a huge September for our Community Pantries
September has been an extraordinary month for our Park Orchards Community Pantry and Warrandyte Community Pantry, who together, last month rescued over 5 tonnes of food from landfill and shared it back into our neighbourhoods.
This achievement is far more than a number. It reflects a threefold purpose that sits at the heart of both pantries: food rescue - saving quality surplus food from going to waste; food sharing - making good food freely available to anyone who needs it or values it; food resilience - strengthening local wellbeing, sustainability and community connection.
Across Park Orchards and Warrandyte, both pantries are becoming trusted, welcoming places where people can access fresh produce, reduce household costs, champion environmental sustainability, and feel a part of something bigger - a community that looks after each other.
A huge and heartfelt thank you to the volunteer teams who make this possible every single day. Your commitment, kindness and consistency are the engine behind this impact. We especially want to acknowledge Bryn Holten, Sandrajane Vincent-Corry and Kate Gosnell, whose collaborative leadership has created a streamlined, shared effort across both sites. Their teamwork is truly a model of what community partnership can be.
We're also delighted to welcome Park Orchards Community Pantry into our Rotary family as one of our newest community partner members. They have brought their rich experience, strong foundations and a practical know-how in all things community pantry, and we're already learning so much from them as we rebuild and revitalise our Warrandyte Rotary Op Shop based pantry. The improvements made so far are being warmly appreciated by our Op Shop regulars and pantry visitors.
Finally, our sincere thanks to the local businesses and suppliers who support us with rescued and excess food. Your generosity directly fuels community wellbeing and environmental care across both townships.
Let us know if you'd like to know more, help out in some way or be part of our volunteer team at the Op Shop and community pantries.
Here's to an even stronger rest of the year ahead.
Park Orchards Community Pantry Rotary Op Shop - Warrandyte Warrandyte Business & Community Network Community Bank Warrandyte Warrandyte Cricket Club Warrandyte Netball Club Now & Not Yet CakeReks Warrandyte Riverside Market Box Hill Central Rotary Club 1st Templestowe Scouts North Warrandyte Osborne Peninsula Landcare Warrandyte Neighbourhood House
