A Lower Clarence Op-Shop that has helped thousands of people with discount grocery items is celebrating 10 years since its launch by reinventing its footprint and relocating the food pantry.
The Wellspring Op-Shop food pantry on Treelands Drive, Yamba, which distributes on average 100 pallets of food each year, was an initiative of pastors Eric and Helen Aaron, and it has continued to prosper under pastors Deborah and Gavin Sanders.
Josy Prow took the lead in the commencement of the food pantry in 2015, opening for 2 days with 3 cupboards, then moving to 3 days a week and more cupboards.
Angela Kelly took over in 2019, bringing new ideas and a wider range of goods, changing the open days to 5 days a week.
Op-Shop manager, Paul Trezise told the CV Independent establishing the food pantry flows out of their Christian ethos of looking after the poor and the needy, the orphans, and the strangers in the land, and they take that seriously.
“For a lot of people, when the bottom drops out of their world, usually the first thing they need is some help with some food,” he said.
“One of the most elemental human needs is to have something to eat.”
When the food pantry was first launched, Mr Trezise said initially the food they had was donations.
“We already had the Op-Shop running, so things like clothes weren’t a problem, and we just started to gather some food in the beginning, with some people bringing in food to donate, to give to people who didn’t have any food,” he said.
“When it grew, we started to look around at what facilities and resources we could tap into.
“Generally, we tap into Foodbank, they are a great resource and a government agency, so we purchase food from them and some of the food we sell at a little bit of a profit, some we make a little bit of a loss on.
“Overall, we make a bit of money and when people come in to ask for help, we can help them, because we have a source of food and from that profit we can help.
“Each Christmas we always do hampers, mainly for the families we have had interactions with throughout the year, and we keep a list of those families to follow up.
“If people are staying in Yamba long-term and they are struggling, on their second or third visit we will sit down with them and have a conversation, to try and find out how we can help them move forward in their life, so they don’t have to depend on handouts.
“We very much want them to become a valuable, productive part of our community, not just sitting on the fringe all of the time receiving handouts.”
Mr Trezise said Wellspring Christian Church has developed a relationship with the Catholic Church and the St Vincent De Paul society to assist people in need.
“About 2 years ago we established a formal relationship with the Catholic Church and St Vincent De Paul, and they purchase vouchers off us, and if people ask for help, they give them the voucher, and the people bring the voucher in here to get food,” he said.
“This enables us to purchase more food, and better food, and something that Angela has worked hard on is being able to get refrigerated food.
“Things like milk, cheese, eggs, meat, and so we bought some fridges, and Angela buys those products from a couple of the wholesalers in the Northern Rivers region.
“More recently we have started to buy frozen food as well, so we have bought freezers, and we have got frozen meals ready to go that only cost a couple of dollars each.”
Coles Yamba and Yamba Bread Shop have both been supportive of the Wellspring food pantry.
“Coles have been very good to us as well through their second bite program,” he said.
“Our local baker Yamba Bread Shop donates bakery items for our customers to take for free.”
The Wellspring Community Care Op-Shops and food pantries are located at Treelands Drive, Yamba, and Charles Street, Iluka.
The Yamba Op-Shop is open from 9am to 2pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and from 9am to 3.30pm on Thursday and Friday.
The Iluka Op-Shop is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 9am to 2pm.
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 14 May 2025.
