After nearly five years of helping some of Canberra's most vulnerable, Ngunnawal Street Pantries have announced plans to permanently shut their doors next January.
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Paul McGrath, who runs the pantry with his wife Margaret from their home, said a confluence of circumstances influenced their decision.
Mr McGrath said he needed to concentrate on his health after experiencing complications with his diabetes while Margaret was planning to retire.
"We're going to be in a position to clear the mortgage, do some travel and spend some time for ourselves," he said
"One of the complications from my diabetes is a cirrhosis ... the reality is that will restrict life expectancy and so we want to enjoy some time, have some travels and plans."
Mrs McGrath made the announcement on the Ngunnawal Street Pantries Facebook page this week, stating that operations will cease after January 27 next year.
The McGraths started the pantry in mid-2019 after downsizing their home and finding themselves with an excess of food following the move.
"I'd heard of the concept of food pantries, but it really wasn't a big thing in Canberra back then, so I thought we'll do a food pantry," Mrs McGrath said.
"I put the food that we had in tubs out the front with a sign that just said 'give when you can take when you need'. That went really well.
Mrs McGrath said they intended to put up a cupboard with supplies but the initiative "just evolved".
Today, the pantry provides not only food but also free shoes and clothes, baby items, kitchen utensils as well as other essentials that have been donated.
"If we put out an appeal and say I've got this family, they need this, this and this - it comes," Mrs McGrath.
Demand has only grown with the ongoing cost of living crisis, Mr McGrath said.
"We have days where the front yard has just got people in it all day," he said.
But this week, Mr McGrath said health issues and exhaustion meant the couple were planning to stop operations next year.
In recent years, Mr McGrath said they scaled down their service to four days a week but coordinating operation and admin meant they were still working seven days a week.
Mr McGrath said they hoped someone else would take over and establish a pantry with a similar model.
"If someone else has got space and happy to take it on, we will be more than happy to continue working as a group to maintain the services that we provide," he said.
"But it wouldn't be us running it, it would [us] volunteering and giving our time and that would allow us as volunteers to come and go as we need for our own personal travels or health appointments."
He said the pair would be happy to throw their support behind their successors if they continued to provide the services under a similar model that they ran under.
"We would like it to continue to be the unconditional positive regard, non judgmental environment, nondenominational ... approach and low cost or free," he said.
Mr McGrath also thanked the community for embracing the pantry.
"It's been a real privilege and we've really enjoyed doing what we're doing," he said.
"We're a passion project ... so we'll be going 100 per cent until we close."
Natalie Vikhrov
Natalie Vikhrov reports on federal politics and public service for The Canberra Times. Prior to this, she spent several years covering human rights in Eastern Europe, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Get in touch via natalie.vikhrov@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Natalie Vikhrov reports on federal politics and public service for The Canberra Times. Prior to this, she spent several years covering human rights in Eastern Europe, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Get in touch via natalie.vikhrov@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
