Care News

Connection in Hardship: How Anglicare’s Community Pantries Become Places of Belonging

6th October 2026

The term “the valleys of life” often refers to a person’s most difficult moments. It’s a reference to Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ”Life’s dark ‘valleys’ can be wide-ranging, and they can sometimes come out of the blue. Things like illness, loneliness, loss, and a sudden turn of luck, can be the difference between feeling like you are standing on solid ground, or descending into what may feel like a ravine: a dark and difficult time.

We spoke to Aaron Li, the first outreach worker in Anglicare’s Community Pantry, and now the program’s Team Leader, who’s spent a decade helping bring low-cost groceries to people who find themselves in tough places. The people he meets come from all walks of life, from young families stretched financially to elderly people whose pensions cannot cover basic amenities.

What Aaron has observed is that when people find themselves in the ‘valley’, they aren’t just looking for resources, but also connection: “Many come [to the Community Pantry] feeling socially isolated — struggling not just with food, but with all other areas of their life, because when someone has one problem, there are usually other problems surrounding it.”

Dennis, the Community Chaplain who works at Lalor Park and attends the Community Pantry, has also noticed this social isolation, and seeks to offer more than just food. Alongside the Community Pantry van, a morning tea space is always set up for people to gather in the church hall: “The physical setup (chairs, tables, morning tea) is intentional — “we want to be ...intentional in forming relationships and showing that we want to sit with you and hear your story and care for you.”

The truth is, in life’s toughest moments, we don’t just need our physical needs met, but also our social and spiritual needs. In 2024, an estimated 1 in 7 Australians were experiencing loneliness according to the HILDA survey. And Aaron, Dennis and the team are actively engaging with the community, so that no one who walks in, experiencing one of life’s valleys, has to face it alone: “People are generally very happy to talk to the chaplain ... people are quite open about their struggles, and that gives me insight into how I can walk with this person, how I can support them with what they’re going through. ”It’s another reminder of a core idea we hold at Anglicare. We’re ‘Made for Connection.’ No one should have to go through the valley alone. The Psalmist declares of God ‘You are with me.’ And for those in hard places, we can be there too.

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