Ainslie Community Pantry

29/10/2026

O'Connor Community Halloween Party cancelled

With a heavy heart, I'm cancelling this year's party. Bringing our community together means so much, but safety must come first.

With possible thunderstorms currently forecast, an outdoor park party is too risky. Costs, orders and volunteer arrangements mean I must decide this morning. I can't place our community, volunteers, my family or myself at risk.

I've explored indoor venues, but none nearby can fit us all - we've grown so much since our first party in the Girl Guide's Hall five years ago!

Postponing isn't workable either. We've lost $460 on insurance and can't risk paying again, reapplying for the park permit and reorganising volunteers and infrastructure.

I've explored every angle. Sadly, with the information I have, the risk is too high.

To our Canberra community, every volunteer who has helped or was ready to help, and every organisation ready to pitch in: thank you. You make this gathering special, year after year.

We'll donate treats that won't keep until next year to BOO House ACT in O'Connor. For a little Halloween fun, I highly recommend a visit!

Sadly, cancelling also means missing the pantry fundraising we've done for the past four years. We'll find other ways to help where we can.

Whether Halloween is your thing or not, have a wonderful weekend, Almost November already - where has the year gone?

There's still next year's community Egg Hunt to look forward to. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Cheers
Christina

27/10/2026

Sharing these confronting statistics from our friends at Percy Begg Pantry. Behind the figures are people and children in our communities. They are the reason our Inner North pantries need to exist. If you can donate to them, please do. Times are hard.

This week Foodbank Australia released its 2026 hunger report , and its contents it’s quite shocking! Here are some of the statistics we’ve pulled from the report to share here:

➡️ Over 3.6 million households nationwide are now categorized as food insecure.
➡️ 1 in 3 households experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months.
➡️ 69% of food-insecure households faced this struggle for the first time.
➡️ 60% of single-parent households are experiencing food insecurity, making them the hardest-hit group.
➡️ 45% of all households with children are struggling to put food on the table.
➡️ 55% of affected people have a job, showing that employment no longer guarantees food security.
➡️ 48% of youth aged 18 to 34 reported going hungry in the past year.
➡️ 57% of First Nations households experienced food insecurity, including 40 per cent in the severe category.
➡️ 36% of regional households suffer from food insecurity, compared to 32% in metropolitan cities.
➡️ 29% of struggling families use credit cards or Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platforms to buy food.

These figures go to show the huge number of households affected by food insecurity. Food should never be seen as a luxury item; it is a basic human right!

Our visitor numbers have skyrocketed to unseen levels over the last 3 to 6 months. We are doing our best to keep up, but we ask for everyone’s understanding if you visit and the fridge is running low 🙏🏽

07/10/2026

We're looking forward to the fangtastic O'Connor Community Halloween Party this year!! Given it's a Saturday this year, we're REALLY looking forward to some spooktacular partying 👻🎃🥳

This year, we've got Bricks4kids coming and holding a super fun LEGO play area - and they'll have some boo-tiful Halloween set ups to look at!!

Woohoo can't wait!!

**Can you volunteer to help us? Reach out!
We need:
👻 donated baked goods for the bake sale
👻 lollies for the scavenger hunt (free scavenger hunt where you get a little bag of lollies at the end)
👻 can you help at the bbq, even for one hour?
👻 can you help at the bake sale, or the decorate a pumpkin cookie stall, or at the cost free stations like temporary tattoos?

This is a community run, for the community, event - totally grassroots - so we need all the help we can get!

02/10/2026

October has begun!!
Are you ready for the spooky season?

We're now really kicking off the O'Connor Community Halloween Party planning and are super keen to hear from anyone who can:
🎃 Bake for the bake sale
👻 Donate lollies for the scavenger hunt
(Kids can do a free scavenger hunt and get a bag of lollies once completed)
🎃 Volunteer (even for one hour?) for the bake sale, cookie decorating or BBQ
👻 Donate goodies for the best costume prizes
🎃 Have time or the ability or know someone who might be keen to bring their spooktacular creativity to the party for free - dancing? Music? Art?

The aim of this community event has always been to be as low cost or free as possible, with a side of fundraising for the inner North Street pantries.... and basically be an opportunity for the community to come together for a bit of fun on Halloween!

Reach out if you can help in any way ❤️

O'Connor Community Pantry
Ainslie Community Pantry
Watson Community Pantry
North Lyneham Community Pantry
Braddon Street Pantry

11/08/2026

Our Pantry Fairy has been sprinkling her genius and kindness again and has a message for our pantry visitors: 🧚

Did you get try the cake hack pack? Don't worry, there will be a few more cake hack packs dropped into the pantry soon.

Keep an eye out of the dinner for one. This has been a hit with students - its quick (faster if you use 2 minute noodles) and cheap using ingredients you will likely already have in your pantry.

You can change things to your taste like noodles, canned tuna or chicken and mayo.

Best of all, no measuring, and the only cooking required is the noodles. You add as much soy sauce and chilli mayo until its the balance of flavour you like.

Would you like more of these meal packs in the pantry? Please let us know if you like meal ideas.

13/07/2026

The fabulous Pantry Fairy that magicked up Mother’s Day Pamper Packs, bakes delicious cakes for us, also came up with the genius cake hack pack.

From the Pantry Baking Fairy:

If you haven't been able pick up some home baked goodies donated to the pantry by our pantry baking fairies, we have the next best thing.

This viral cake hack has been so popular, the vanilla cake mix packets and the tins of apple pie filling are often out of stock.

Just two ingredients, one bowl. It can't be easier.

One packet of vanilla cake mix and one tin of apple pie filling (or peach, or fruit filling). Mix until combined, pour into a loaf tin and pop in the oven. A easy dessert with a scoop of icecream.

We will be popping some cake hack packs with instructions in the pantry. There are also a few gluten free cake mix packs.

In case you want some inspiration there is even a Facebook group dedicated to this cake hack. One of the pantry baking fairies will be testing the chocolate cake mix and tin of cherries version. Keep your eyes out for those cakes in the pantry in the not to distant future.

Happy baking! Tell us if you give it a go and what you think. Do you love the cake hack?

12/07/2026

We were absolutely blown away by the incredible generosity of the Gunghalin and Amaroo community to help the six Inner North Community pantries replenish stocks that were low, or completely out, from the last drive in Dickson. We know how difficult our communities are finding it with cost of living pressures. It was so heartwarming to have such kindness and to see our stocks for all six pantries build over the weekend. We hope this keeps us going before the Christmas drives. The community was so kind we were able to share some donations with our friends at Rosebush Pantry.

Thank you to the team of hardworking volunteers that work over the weekend to make this possible. You are diamonds Roseanne from , Pam from Pam's Pantry, Chrissy from O'Connor Community Pantry, Kathleen from Watson Community Pantry, Heidi from North Lyneham Community Pantry and our wonderful volunteers we borrow from our pantry teams, Steph, Caroline, Jacinta and Megan’s and our two little helpers. Thanks for the great sign and vests Greg!

Huge thank you to Coles Amaroo Village for always making us so welcome and the food drives so easy. Thanks as always to Helping ACT for making it possible.

30/06/2026

💜🍉Canberra, the big purple truck is heading your way! 🚚💜

Foodbank will arrive on the 9th of July with a truckload of fresh and free produce! So bring your reusable bags, ready to be filled with nutritious staples at no cost!

This event is open to all in the community who need it. So share to local community groups, tell your friends, and we'll see you there!

01/05/2026

💐 GIFTS ALL ALLOCATED 💐

Mothers’ Day is coming up. We want to help celebrate all the mothers, mother-figures and carers. We have a beautifully generous pantry supporter who has kindly donated five pamper gift bags and a kitchen mixer. We’re raffling these off to raise money for the pantry and to give you a fabulous prize for a bargain.

Donate $5 to be entered. We select names next Saturday and notify the lucky recipients so it can be picked up or delivered.

You can nominate yourself or someone you think deserves a gift. Comment below to let us know who you’re nominating. You’ll go into the draw when we receive your $5 in the pantry account, PayID 0432 946 642. Put in the payment description the name of the person you’re nominating and whether you want a pamper bag or the mixer.

Please message us if you can’t pay by PayID or would like a Pay It Forward entry.

Let’s celebrate the fabulous, hardworking Mums of all kinds!
Image 1:
Pamper bag with pampering gifts and chocolate,

Image 2:
Kitchen mixer

26/04/2026

** BUY NOTHING AINSLIE TRAVELLING SUITCASE RUMMAGE THIS MONDAY (27 April) **

So popular and in demand we’re hosting again tomorrow!!

The whole fleet of travelling suitcases, all kids ages, adult sizes will be ready for you to look through and take as many items as you like. We need clothes to be worn and to shrink the impressive collection substantially. Come along, bring your friends, bring your family, get a new wardrobe. Drop by anytime between 10 and 4pm. Spread the word, take the clothes.

See you tomorrow!