Published 13 December 2024
The City of Bunbury will work with the local service provider Foodbank Bunbury, alongside the Bunbury Men’s Shed, to revamp the Withers Community Library and surrounding area into a hub that will provide wrap-around services and outreach programs.
Library access through home delivery, digital platforms and outreach, along with the community garden, will be maintained as part of the development.
Providing food security initiatives, nutrition education, financial counselling and social connection opportunities to meet the needs of residents, the hub will reduce cost-of-living pressures for the community.
Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said the City was proud to support the incredible initiative.
"We know many in our community are doing it tough at the moment, when it comes to cost-of-living pressures in particular. This hub will help reduce those pressures for Bunbury households," Mayor Miguel said.
"This is a great outcome for our community, and I look forward to bringing them along throughout the journey."
Helping more than 130 households every day, Foodbank Bunbury has been supporting our community for 20 years and the City is proud to work with the service provider and other community groups on this incredible project.
Foodbank WA CEO Kate O'Hara said as cost-of-living continued to see more people in food stress, the Bunbury branch had outgrown its current location.
"This has the potential ground-breaking new benchmark, not just for Foodbank WA, but for food relief in Australia, where services are available, at scale within a residential area," she said.
The Withers Library has faced a sustained decline in visitation and use over the past five years, and repurposing the site will provide a service better suited to community needs and improve efficiency, redirecting resources to the Bunbury Public Library.
The residentially located hub will be the first of its kind in Australia, meaning Bunbury is leading the way in a space important to our community.
Both the City and Foodbank will undertake further community consultation as part of this exciting initiative.
The transition process will start in April 2025 with the intention of being fully operational from April 2026. We will provide more updates to our community along the way – watch this space!