Carevan volunteers open new warehouse of Fernleigh Road

The facility boasts several large pantries, a freezer room, meeting rooms, and a large kitchen for the volunteer chefs to prepare meals.

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One of the chefs on the "Wednesday team" is Di Richardson, who said there is a strong rivalry between them and the Tuesday and Monday teams.

She was one of the volunteers who joined after getting swept up by the enthusiasm of Lynne Graham, who founded the Wagga branch in 2018 in a bid to help the community.

"Lynne Graham is just passionate about whatever she does, and somewhere we all get scooped up in the process," Ms Richardson said.

"It's a fabulous community experience."

Demand for their services has ramped up significantly due to COVID, which saw a doubling of unemployment in the region during lockdown.

Volunteer Angela Flynn said they served 14,000 meals since March last year alone, which would not have been possible without their new warehouse.

Pre-COVID they had relied on the local school kitchens to cook their meals, but that ground to a halt when lockdown descended on Wagga.

However through community fundraising and governments grants they were able to set up their own warehouse and meal prep program, making 400 meals per week for 18 different service providers.

In addition to all the hard work of the volunteers, all the food was donated by local businesses and individual well-wishers, and the bills were paid by community groups as well as several anonymous donors.

"We have very generous people in Wagga who have committed to continue their generosity to Carevan. We would not be able to buy supplies, keep the lights on, keep our insurance covered without these people," Ms Flynn said.

"The majority of those people wish to remain nameless because of their generosity of spirit."

The original Carevan founder John Brabant came to witness Wagga's grand opening, saying it made him proud to see Carevan's legacy grow from its humble origins.

"The concept is about community. This ideal of compassion in a community is what holds a community together," Dr Brabant said.

"I'm sure [the volunteers'] lives have changed as a result, because I know in Albury our volunteers keep saying their lives are turning around as much as some of the clients they deal with."

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