The City of Ballarat's Emergency Food Relief Drop Off Centre will close on Friday 26 June, with Mayor Cr Ben Taylor praising the community for its generous support over the past seven weeks.
Cr Taylor also called for last minute donations this week to continue to help support Ballarat residents with food security issues due to COVID-19.
The drop off centre opened at the Ballarat Library on Friday 1 May and moved to Morshead Park in mid-June due to GovHub works.
Cr Taylor said, up until Monday, there had been 302 public drop offs with 6142 items donated, including two large food donations by the Malayalee Association of Victoria ($4000) and a private resident ($1000).
"The City of Ballarat has completed 46 deliveries to welfare agencies and has also carried out 129 food package deliveries to residents to support these agencies," Cr Taylor said.
"The Ballarat community has been amazingly generous and amazingly kind with this initiative and I would like to thank everyone who has dropped off food donations, either at the Ballarat Library or Morshead Park.
"This City of Ballarat initiative has been very successful in helping people in need during COVID-19 in a practical and valuable way, and particularly highlights how Council has been flexible and adaptable during these difficult times."
Cr Taylor said the Emergency Food Relief Drop Off Centre was closing due to a drop in donations but also called on the community to give generously in its last week of opening.
"The drop off centre will close on Friday so I would urge as many people as possible to help us out with some last minute donations to allow us to help support people in need in the weeks and months ahead.
"Please drop off non-perishable food and hygiene items to Morshead Park by 12pm on Friday."
Cr Taylor said, once the drop off centre closed, he would ask people to instead donate to the 3BA Winter Appeal 2020 at 3ba.com.au/community/appeals-page/98858-3ba-winter-appeal-2020.
Food donations to the 3BA Winter Appeal are being accepted at the Salvation Army centre at the corner of Eureka Street and Main Road.
