Baldivis Happy Pantry, for the Community

Baldivis Community Support Inc., colloquially known as Baldivis Happy Pantry, is a grassroots community initiative that sprung up from the need to feed people, whether they be pensioners or the working poor, as well as to reduce food wastage. But it’s become much more.

I believe in one thing: if people come to my door, they are in need.

-          Nirvana Danzi, co-founder

Along the way, it’s become a hub for people from all walks of life to find sanctuary and purpose through volunteering their time and energy.

Volunteers are their Lifeblood

Our volunteers are at the heart of our organisation, selfless individuals who are making a difference in our community.

-          Baldivis Community Support Inc. website

The organisation, which was founded three and a half years ago in March 2022 by wife and husband team, Nirvana and Peter Danzi, is exclusively run by volunteers. Volunteers help out in all areas: gathering and handling food as well as helping with administrative work.

Peter and Nirvana also donate their time and are actively involved in the organisation, with Peter being a hands-on CEO who visits their team every day, and Nirvana being the treasurer as well as taking care of other behind-the-scenes responsibilities.

More volunteers are needed, though, as the organisation grows. (Interested? Apply here. Volunteer as a weekly market attendant or every few months as part of our fundraising team.) Baldivis Community Support Inc. (Happy Pantry) is now a registered legal charity, has DGR (Deductible Gift Recipients) status and is recognised by Rockingham council as a local emergency service.

Once-off donations of any amount are welcome and appreciated. All donations make a difference.

Addressing Australian’s Food Insecurity & Celebrating Diversity

 The organisation believes that access to nutritious food is a basic human right and they are founded on a powerhouse of values. Food wastage ‘boils my blood’, Nirvana told me.

She’s right to be concerned. Planet Ark took these statistics from the Foodbank Hunger Report 2022:

‘Australian households send 2.5 million tonnes of food to landfill each year (3). Yet more than 2 million Australian households experienced food insecurity in 2022 (4).’

The report goes on to say that single parent families are hardest hit, though the high cost of living paired with low incomes or benefits means that people from all walks of life are affected. And this is why Baldivis Community Support Inc. doesn’t require their customers to show a concession card or bring proof of income when becoming a member. Although she is aware that a small minority of people may take advantage, Nirvana also told me that she knows that just because someone drives in with a fancy car, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have real need. She explained: ‘…it could be that they bought that car when they had a higher paying job, and now they have a lower income, but they could still have high expenses, such as car registration…or even just everyday living costs.’

The charity is working in coordination with other generous organisations such as Foodbank, Secondbite, Coles, Woolworths, Oz Harvest and more to rescue delicious food that would otherwise go to waste. Members can come to the market and take home a bounty of delicious, fresh food from smiling, kind volunteers who also share their knowledge on how to make the most of it, such as making jam and cheese. Opening hours are listed at the top of the website; the market is open on Saturdays so that the working poor have access.(Please note that the website content is in the process of being updated, however, the opening hours are correct.)

Willing Workers on Organic Farms are another organisation that Baldivis Community Support Inc. (Happy Pantry) partners with, and in this way, they are providing people with food and accommodation in return for volunteering hours. People from CaLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) backgrounds, First Nations people and people with disabilities are also valued members of their team.

We value actively listening and learning, appreciating the worth and diversity of each person.

-          Baldivis Community Support Inc. website

Generosity is how Baldivis Happy Pantry began, and Generosity is how it will continue

Though she’s been in Australia for 25 years now, Nirvana has a rich history. From Isreal, she has lived through wars; she lived and managed a restaurant in Germany, where, on special occasions, she opened her kitchen and doors to refugees (as well as providing advocacy).

Peter and Nirvana, who are Baldivis locals, privately spent years collecting food from supermarket overfill and distributing it for free to friends, family, as well as feeding the animals on their farms, before creating the community organisation.

They are now working with a local builder and seeking to engage the local council to expand the charity with a new building that would provide a place for all, including people experiencing homelessness, to come for a chat, a hot cuppa, a warm meal, and a warm reception.

The dream is to teach other townships how to create similar hubs in their own communities.

And there is now the opportunity for corporate sponsorship, to enhance the sustainability of Baldivis Community Support Inc. (Happy Pantry). Interested in supporting a values-driven organisation that’s going places? Contact me or Nirvana.

Make sure to like the Baldivis Happy Pantry Facebook page to stay up to date with new development and for inspiration.