Skipton Community Food Pantry & Fire Recovery

23 Sep Skipton Community Food Pantry & Fire Recovery

Skipton Community Pantry (Food Bank) started in 2025 through the hard work and dedication of community members who saw a need and wanted to find a way to address it locally. This small but might group teamed up with Camperdown & District Community House, first as a Corangamite Foodbank distribution partner, and then as a formal auspiced community group.

In the 2025-2026 summer, devastating fire activity impacted the community. The Skipton Food Pantry (Food Bank) rose to the occasion and coordinated one of the most effective community-led grass roots fire response and recovery efforts.

The list of achievements grows:

·Over 5 tonne of food distributed

·Provision of over 9,000 community meals

·Over $40k raised for fire relief

·More than $150k of donated items sorted and distributed

·Coordination of direct bus runs delivering aid to fire affected properties & families and

· Coordination of personalised donations to meet individual needs

·Two shipping containers filled with donations

·Ongoing community care phone calls

·Holding space for everyone’s stories and giving plenty of hugs

·Tools sourced and distributed with the kind help of the Haddon Lions Club

·Two market stalls selling items to raise funds for fire relief

·Fund-raising community BBQ

·Food donations to Blaze Aid and Beaufort CWA

Businesses that supported Skipton Foodbank through Skipton Community Food Pantry coordination after the fires:

Hewitt & Whitty, Gorst Rural, Woolworths, Blundstone Australia, UFS Pharmacy, Pyrenees Community House, Brady Bunch on Hertford, Bunnings Delacombe, Bunnings Ballarat, Hip Pocket Workwear, Goldwind, Stockyard Hill Windfarm, Linton Emergency Relief Pantry, Food Bank Victoria, RB Sellars, Beaufort Rural & Hardware, Lismore Community Health, Camperdown Community House, Haddon Lions Club, Beaufort Rotary Club, Lions Club of Bunningyong Mount Helen, Camperdown Lions Club, Petstock, Central Header Parts, Discount Chemist Delacombe, Brenniston First Aid & Workplace Safety, Katapult Promotional Products, Costco Wholesale Australia, Thread Together, Green Eggs, Bake n Grind, Sinclair Meats, National Trust at Mooramong, Bakers Delight, Ballarat Bolts and Fasteners, Disaster Relief Australia, Beaufort CWA, Kidman Group, Pandaemonium Newspaper, Ballarat Property Agents, Skipton Community Shop, Community buses – Skipton & Beaufort, Creswick Essential Bag Initiative Group, ABC Ballarat Breakfast Program, Skipton to Streatham Fire Recovery Group, Ballarat Indian Association, Ballarat and Maryborough Seventh-day Adventist Churches, Skipton Country Grocers, Grovers, Ballarat Materials Handling Equipment, Geelong Hospital, AMPOL Beaufort, Skipton Anglican Church, Ballarat Containers, and lots of incredible donations from members of the public!

For six months the Skipton Community Food Pantry (Food Bank) team volunteered around the clock to make things happen. They are now open for regular hours three days per week and continue to support community in the recovery process.

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skiptonfoodbank

Visit at 10 Montgomery Street, Skipton on Mondays 1-4pm, Wednesdays 12-3pm and Thursdays 9am-12pm.