By Jessica Anstice
Sammy’s Community Pantry, a service that provides free groceries to those in need, has been recognised for going above and beyond.
Based in Officer, Sammy’s Community Pantry is the first deserving recipient of the Drake Community Star.
The Drake Tavern and the Pakenham-Berwick Gazette created the new award to acknowledge community members who perform good deeds or random acts of kindness.
“It’s very exciting! I don’t usually win anything,” Sammy’s Community Pantry founder Larissa Damouni said.
“It means a lot. I generally shy away from compliments and recognition and I don’t do what I do to get anything in return,” she added.
“I saw a few people posting comments with my name when you (Pakenham-Berwick Gazette) wrote the article asking people to nominate someone and I teared up a little when I saw me in there.”
Sammy’s Community Pantry was named in honour of Ms Damouni’s brother Sam, who took his own life about five ago.
Established at the beginning of the year, Ms Damouni said she was inspired with the idea of starting a community pantry after an eye opening trip to the local supermarket.
“I was at Woolworths one day and a woman with small children was paying at the self service checkout and her card kept declining,” she recalled.
“It was just under $20. So I put $20 on the scanner, said ‘pay it forward’ and walked away.
“I felt horrible the whole way home. I don’t have a family and children, I have a job and I don’t need much, so I decided to give people food.”
Selflessly, Ms Damouni said she would go to Aldi, buy various food items to fill five bags and then offer them to anyone in need via local Facebook groups.
Eventually, it became more than she could afford on her own.
Generous community members offered to help and Sammy’s Community Pantry was born.
Sammy’s Community Pantry is run from Ms Damouni’s home, where she receives grocery donations and distributes them to those in need.
It relies heavily on kindness and generosity of community members as it receives no funding, just donations.
“I have a Facebook page where people can message me and organise to pick up a bag of food and anyone who wants to contribute can leave food in the tub at my door or on the doorstep for me to sort through and bag up,” she explained.
“I put a mix of things in there, including cereal, long life milk, cans, soup, two minute noodles, spaghetti etc.”
Pre-pandemic, the pantry was available to anyone in need in Cardinia Shire and Ms Damouni could drop groceries off.
However with restrictions still in place, she said it has been difficult.
“If someone is over five kilometres, I drop off but I try to keep it within 10 kilometres because I would struggle to cope otherwise,” she added.
“Everyone is vulnerable but our struggles are different. We all need help at some point. If you can do something to help, you should.
“Even if it’s just one person, or even if it’s just a little bit. Kindness is never wasted.”
Ms Damouni received a $100 venue voucher for the Drake Tavern in Pakenham.
The Drake Community Star is awarded monthly to worthy recipients.
If you know someone deserving of being rewarded as the Drake Community Star, contact the Gazette team through email on dailyeditor@starnewsgroup.com.au, by mail to PO Box 9, Pakenham 3810 or message the Gazette on Facebook.
