Colac Salvos serving families forced to make 'impossible' choices
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY LERISSE SMITH
Demand for material aid is surging at an unprecedented rate at Colac Salvos.
Food parcels and everyday essentials that once offered short-term relief have become a weekly lifeline for hundreds of struggling families.
“It has gone bonkers,” says Josiah Van Niekerk, Corps Leader of Colac Corps. “People are making impossible choices every week – between rent, power, fuel and food. For many families, there’s simply nothing left at the end.”
The numbers tell the story.
Last year alone, the Colac region distributed $1.3 million worth of material aid - the largest amount in the program’s history. More than 210 tonnes of support flowed through the service, reaching around 2,500 people – equating to 900 households – on a recurring basis
But behind the statistics is a harder truth: for many, this is no longer emergency support. It’s survival.
“We are seeing about 60 to 70 per cent [of people coming in] weekly nearly completely dependent on it,” Josiah explains.
“What we’re seeing now is long-term hardship. People aren’t just coming through once in a crisis anymore – they’re relying on this support week after week just to get by.”
Some collect only part of what they’re entitled to – a quarter here, half there, or a smaller portion – because their presence at the corps is for one all-important reason, something harder to quantify.
“They’re mainly here because this is the only place that they feel safe,” says the Corps Leader. “Or they have relationships.
“This is their family.”
That sense of belonging has transformed the aid hub into something more than a distribution centre.
Amongst the hardship are many moments of warmth and celebration, including birthday parties for people who otherwise might not have anyone to celebrate with.
“It’s so beautiful,” Josiah reflects. “It’s good fun.”
The growing crisis has also sparked bigger thinking.
Over the past two years, the organisation has partnered with Deakin University to map how people across the region access healthy food. Now, the focus is shifting to helping other communities.
Attention is turning beyond Colac itself, with discussions underway alongside Corangamite Shire about how to support other townships and communities across the region.
“How do we get even more material aid into another town that’s even more isolated than Colac?” Josiah asks. “That’s what we’re in the throes of right now .... Food availability is not really an issue. There is ample food for everyone in the community if they can’t afford it. But we just need to get it there.”
For Josiah, the scale of the challenge is daunting – but also energising. What began as a response to immediate need has evolved into a broader mission to strengthen entire communities.
“It’s really exciting to know that over the last three years we’ve been able to cover over a large problem, and we are able to be in that space now where we can sustain that,” he says. “Now we’re looking at other areas that we are responsible for that God has called us [to] and that need our help.”
And while the operation now moves tonnes of aid and supports thousands of people, Josiah is quick to point out that much of it hinges on a dedicated team.
“We’ve got a Material Aid Coordinator. She’s paid 15 hours a week,” he remarks. “And it really just wouldn’t be possible without her. She does a phenomenal job.”
