It is not unusual to see a trolley in Junee’s council chambers. There is also one in the aquatic centre, and another in the library.
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Since May 7, the community has deposited non-perishable food items inside the trolleys. At Friday’s volunteers’ summit, their contents will be given to the local chapter of OzHarvest.
“The Junee community are always so generous, always donating things to help us and it’s always marvelous stuff that we can distribute to the underprivileged and homeless,” said OzHarvest coordinator John Foord.
“If all three of them are about a third of the way full by Friday, that would be absolutely amazing,” said OzHarvest coordinator John Foord.
The trolleys are sitting in the open thoroughfare, but Mr Foord at least is not worried the donated items will be taken for inappropriate use.
“I just trust the community, I don’t think that anything will be taken but if [the food is] taken and I would hope it’d be taken by someone who really needs it,” he said.
Friday’s summit celebrates Junee’s volunteers following a council survey that found one in five townspeople donate their time somewhere each week.
John McLaren and Loren West are two such volunteers. They spend three days each week working with the Men’s Shed.
Over three weeks at the end of April, they built the one cubic metre collection trolleys. Mr McLaren said the main material was a “lucky find”.
“We didn’t have much to work with, so I drove down to Bunnings in Wagga, and stopped off at Spotlight and they showed me these sheets of wire mesh out the back,” Mr McLaren said.
“They used to be shelves, but they weren’t using them any more so they said I could have them free.”
The trolleys are maneuvered on bed casters, but Mr McLaren is particularly fond of the four decorative wheels on each side of the trolleys.
The wheels came from a tricycle and an old pram found at the tip. Once the trolley challenge is over, the wheels will be put back to use.
“The wheels can go back on [the pram and tricycle] so we can do them up for someone for Christmas.”
As for the trolleys, they too will continue to be useful.
“We might continue to have one of these trolleys out in the community from time to time, so that people can keep donating,” Mr Foord said.