We understand your need for support when things like buying food or trying to budget your bills each pay day can feel a bit overwhelming, especially during the current cost-of-living crisis. We are here for you and help is available.
Who we are
Combined Churches Caring Melton (CCCM) is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 1995 by local churches to address a growing need for food support in the Melton township. We support all City of Melton residents with support services including emergency food relief and budgeting assistance. You can read more about us here on our website.
How to get help
The way you access services depends on the service. For services provided by CCCM, you should visit us in person or get in touch with us. For all other services listed on website (those provided in the community), you should contact the relevant organisation who will be able to advise how to access their services and what their eligibility criteria are. If you're a client of CCCM, we will provide you with the relevant details when we refer you to their organisation.
What happens when you visit the foodbank
When you visit the foodbank, we'll firstly ask for your ID confirming that you're eligible for our services. You'll need to present two forms of ID - one of which is your healthcare or pension card. Both ID documents must state your City of Melton address on them. We can also accept a digital copy of your ID. We'll run some checks with Services Australia to ensure your documents are valid and we'll let you know more about this before we complete those checks. You do not need a referral to access our food relief services and access is open to all residents in the City of Melton who meet our eligibility criteria.
Once we've verified your ID, you'll have a private chat with one of our volunteers who will speak with you around your reason for needing food relief (such as you've lost your paid employment), confirm how many people are in your household and they'll also confirm any allergies or dietary requirements you may have (eg: Halal, Vegetarian, Nut Allergy etc.) Our team will also provide referral information for external services such as housing support or family violence help if required. We'll also refer you if necessary to our budget assistance program team for assistance with creating a budget and ensuring you can manage any loan repayments or overdue bills etc. We ask you to be honest with our team so they can provide you with the best help possible - our team are held to strict confidentiality standards and any information you provide to us is kept secure in accordance with our privacy policy.
From there, our team of volunteers will prepare a food parcel for you - this food parcel contains a variety of items to feed your household for usually a few days to a week depending on your needs and our stocks. Some items provided include pasta and sauces, milk and cereal, bread and spreads along with fruit and vegetables to ensure a nutritious and healthy diet.
We're committed to ending hunger and work closely with you to reduce your need for our emergency food relief services by providing you with the necessary assistance to get back on your feet.
There are limits on the number of times you can receive food relief services from us in a year which we'll talk through with you. These can vary from client to client based on individual needs, but it is usually twice a year, with at least six weeks between each visit. If you've exceeded the number of visits allowed, you can potentially access our budget assistance program to receive a further entitlement. We may also refer you to another organisation for further food relief if we're unable to assist you further.
A reminder that violent and aggressive behaviour is not tolerated at CCCM. We will also refuse to provide service to anyone who is actively under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If you choose to be violent or aggressive towards our team or visit the foodbank under the influence, we may choose to ban you from our services and/or refer your behaviour to Victoria Police.