Donations enable Foodbank Albany to install new fridge and freezer to boost capacity with demand still growing

The donation of new fridges to Foodbank Albany has simultaneously boosted the community organisation’s display capacity and reduced its running costs as demand for its services continue to grow.

Support from Albany Community Bank and the Lions Club of Albany has allowed a new display fridge and display freezer to be installed at the the organisation’s Cockburn Road premises.

Foodbank Albany manager Rod Pfeiffer said he never stopped being amazed by the capacity of community-based organisations in Albany to support each other.

“It astounds me how much non-for-profit organisations help other not-for-profit organisations in Albany,” he said.

“We are so very, very grateful for how the Albany community pulls together.”

The new fridge and freezer give Foodbank Albany 25 per cent more display space and will cut running costs by 60 per cent based on the units they have replaced.

“We’ve taken what used to be two fridges down to one, but we still have more space than we did before,” Mr Pfeiffer said.

He said Foodbank was thankful for the foresight of the Albany Community bank and Lions Club of Albany.

“Just for them thinking ahead about how they can help Foodbank for the long haul,” he said.

“Foodbank requires big infrastructure to allow us to help as many people as we do, and unfortunately that’s just not cheap.

“Without the support of donors like these guys we just wouldn’t be able to afford to put in place that infrastructures — it’s a massive help for us in terms of planning ahead.”

He said the donation helped cater for ever-increasing demand with more people being impacted by the rising cost of living.

“Every kind of budget we set we’ve been smashing,” he said.

“It’s not getting easier because there are so many ore people coming in all the time who have never struggled like this before.”

Community members are encouraged to donate whatever they can spare to the Albany Foodbank warehouse on Cockburn Road or directly through the Foodbank website by mentioning Albany in the donation transaction.