Margaret McGrath never fails to get a kick out of seeing people walking the streets of Ngunnawal going from pantry to pantry. Over the last year, her street stalls have become a place of refuge for young mums, transgender people and anyone in need of support.
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Mrs McGrath's philosophy of give what you can, take what you need prompted the idea. There are now four pantry ladies who each run a stall, with the concept growing from just a single tub of free food Mrs McGrath put on her front lawn 12 months ago.
Mrs McGrath knew she was onto something when a struggling 17-year-old pregnant woman without family assistance reached out to the Ngunnawal street pantry. She was immediately provided with a cot, a car seat, a bassinet, a change table and sanitary items.
"Some people rely on it and don't know what they would've done if it wasn't there," Mrs McGrath said. "It's been life saving, life changing for them."
The pantries supply anything from free clothes, craft and toys to pet and baby supplies, kitchenware and food.
"It is about recycling and it is about reducing waste and building communities and relationships," Mrs McGrath said.
Open seven days a week, the pantries are part of a circular economy model which encourages people to use an item and bring it back when they're done, or leave something in return, though there's no obligation to do so.
The pantries rely almost entirely on community donations, and have been a lifeline for local residents.
The pantries are also a safe space, free of judgement or rejection. Young transgender people use the clothing pantries to browse freely and comfortably.
"We give them moral support, as well as the physical things that they need," Mrs McGrath said. "There's not a lot we can't help people with."
Lee, who didn't want to use her last name, has run the women's pantry in Ngunnawal for the past five months, and provides ladies sanitary items and baby goods.
She said she'd been able to assist many domestic abuse survivors who didn't want to go through big organisations or social services.
"We don't ask questions," Lee said.
After starting out with one two-drawer cupboard, the women's pantry has expanded to six cabinets and cupboards packed with donations.
Some women will arrive in desperate situations, with nothing but a baby in a sling and a backpack on their back.
The pantry ladies are able to provide the immediate support they need for nappies, toiletries and a lending hand.
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Kat Loaiza Del Pozo, who is raising a seven-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, has found the Ngunnawal pantries both a lifesaver for her family and a way to give back to her community.
She'd used the pantries to find clothes and toys for her children, which was usually an awful experience trying to find things that were not only affordable but would last.
"When you have something like the pantry you don't feel guilty because it's accessible to anyone, if you like it you keep it and your kids end up using it and it goes back to someone else," Ms Loaiza Del Pozo said.
"They end up happy, I end up happy and these things are being extended for longer rather than going into landfill."
Pamela Zielke started running the toy and craft pantry in the wake of the summer bushfires, and knew many families who'd been through hard times.
"We're flat out but I don't mind it, it's part of our giving nature," Ms Zielke said.
For Mrs McGrath, the pantries are her way to give back to Canberrans, who've gone from the anguish of the bushfires to a global pandemic.
"We love what we do, we love helping people," she said.
"If I can make even one person's walk easier, then it's worth it."