French Ambassador to Australia to attend Corryong FoodShare Services opening

Corryong FoodShare Services will officially open its new premises in town on Friday, November 24.

Having started at the Corryong hospital during 1997, Corryong FoodShare today has 130 clients on its books, up from 30 regulars before the Summer Bushfire Crisis.

It operated out of the Corryong Scouts Hall for 15 years until the Scouts reformed and again needed their building.

Corryong FoodShare Services spokeswoman Pastor Carol Allen said the charity's permanent home was a long time coming.

She said a small army of volunteers was thrilled with their new base in Harris Street.

"Everyone is pretty much exhausted," she said.

"But the building is so much larger than anything we've had in the past.

"It's important because demand has skyrocketed.

"Pensioners are paying $350 a week rent out of their pensions, which doesn't leave much for anything else.

"Young families are also struggling.

"We're seeing people we've never seen before who might have had an unexpected trip to Melbourne for a health issue and can no longer afford food for the week."

Corryong FoodShare mooted plans in mid-2021 to operate out of the former Girl Guides Hall at Corryong within weeks, pending building inspections and renovations.

Ultimately, the hall had to be demolished due to the excessive cost to repair white ant damage and replace the foundations.

Corryong FoodShare bought a transportable building from Cleanaway Albury in November 2021, which was relocated by Kybren Homes in Albury to the site at 60-62 Harris Street.

Touchingly, the "Villers-Bretonneux Commander" was funded by a donation from the community of Villers-Bretonneux in northern France after the 2019-20 Summer Bushfire Crisis.

The French Ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thébault, will attend the official opening.

The Corryong FoodShare headquarters is five times the capacity of the Scout Hall including offices, a board room and more toilets.

Health, welfare and financial counselling services will now be able to operate out of the building.

"At the Scout Hall if someone came from Gateway Health to meet a client, they'd have to go outside," Mrs Allen said.

"It makes a huge difference to have a dedicated space for these meetings."

Among other major donors to the project were Rotary Club of Albury, Border Trust, Towong Shire and John Mitchell.

Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and Bendigo Bank have contributed to ongoing FoodShare expenses.

Corryong FoodShare Services will open for clients Wednesday and Thursday, 9am to 1pm.

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