As the cost of living continues to bite big chunks out of local household budgets, and people are expected to do more with less, Narromine’s weekly Food Barn may be viewed as a shining light in dark times.

Every Friday morning, a small band of volunteers assemble at St Andrew’s Uniting Church hall in Meryula St and set out the tables containing tinned and packaged foods, drinks, fruit and vegetables, eggs and bread. There is also a stall outside which sells plants and shrubs.

So popular is the weekly event, which draws shoppers from in the community and beyond, doors now open at 8.30am and close at 11am.

Items are sold at $2 per item, coordinator Geoff Smith told Dubbo Photo News, with vege-bags at 50 cents each.

“For example, [that will get you] half a cauliflower, four carrots, two potatoes and two brown onions,” he explained.

Bread is free with each purchase, he added.

Some of the items are past their ‘best-before’ date but the contents are sound and edible, he said.

It’s important that the community understands the vast majority of items for sale are not provided to Narromine Food Barn free of charge. While a small number of items are donated via Coles’ Second Bite program, Food Barn purchases everything else.

Tinned and packaged food and toiletries are bought from Foodbank NSW & ACT in Sydney, the largest food relief organisation in Australia. Most fruit and vegetables at the Food Barn are bought from a Dubbo wholesaler.

Generally, people will buy what they need and what their budget will allow, Geoff said.

“Some days we’ll have busy Fridays but the shoppers won’t spend a lot of money. Other days, we’ll have not many people stop by but they may spend a lot of money,” he explained.

“We had a lady come in from out of town with her husband and they spent $140, which blew us out of the water. That was the biggest spend we’ve had,” he added.

The group has also provided some free food hampers recently for people experiencing domestic violence or other serious life-impacting situations, Geoff said. There is a process for considering such requests for assistance, which may come to Food Barn from service providers in the community.

“Food Barn is not a money-making activity,” Geoff stressed.

“If we break even, we’re doing well. At the moment, we’re holding our own.”

Food Barn welcomes donations of tinned or packaged food and non-perishable items, as well as eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables – and they also accept cash donations.

With more than one of their volunteers aged in their 90s, Food Barn would also love to welcome some more volunteers on board. If you can help out, stop by one Friday morning and talk to Geoff and the team.