Demolition and construction are now underway on Rous Road in Goonellabah, marking a major milestone for The Good Pantry as it prepares to move into a purpose-built home designed to support Lismore’s growing need for affordable food and essential goods.

The low-cost grocery pantry, operated by Lismore Soup Kitchen, currently runs from a leased building on Wyrallah Road in East Lismore. While the service has grown steadily, the site itself has become increasingly unsuitable, prone to flooding and limited in how it can support the volume of people coming through the doors.

The new Goonellabah facility will change that, providing a permanent base designed specifically for purpose. From the new site, The Good Pantry will continue to offer low-cost grocery items alongside free donated goods, including fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, clothing, books, toys and furniture.

Ian Phillips from Lismore Soup Kitchen said receiving formal approvals marked a major turning point for the project.

“We’ve literally only just received written approval, so we’re now working through what that means,” he said. “We’re certainly hoping to be operational in around six months, but we’ll have a clearer picture as things progress.”

The need driving the project is clear. Ian said the pantry is now seeing close to 600 individual people each month, translating to more than 1,000 visits.

“In November we saw 543 people, which was over 1,000 actual visits,” he said. “On average, people who come are coming about twice a month, and that number has been growing.”

Most of the pantry’s grocery items are sourced through Foodbank New South Wales, with the service purchasing two to three pallets of food each week at cost. Donated items, including excess bread collected daily from Coles, Woolworths and Aldi, are provided free of charge.

“What people pay for items is basically what it costs us,” Ian said. “All of our overheads like rent and staffing are covered through community donations. This isn’t about profit. It’s about keeping food accessible for people who are doing it tough.”

The new building is being delivered by Joel Jensen Constructions, with owner Joel Jensen describing the project as one of the most meaningful his team has worked on.

“These guys are honestly the best bunch of humans,” Joel said. “We were brought in really early and worked alongside them on the vision for what this place could be. That made it special from the start.”

Joel said the project stood out not just because of the build itself, but because of the people and purpose behind it.

“Everyone involved understands why it matters. To be part of something that will support people in our community for years to come, that’s pretty special for our whole crew.”

Construction will progress steadily, with Joel confident that the building will be close to finished by the middle of the year.

“It’s going to come together really nicely,” he said. “All going well, we’ll be close to wrapping it up by mid-year, and it’ll be great to hand over a space that’s ready to serve the community.”

The project is backed by strong partnerships, with the Lismore Catholic Diocese continuing to help offset operating losses, and the Mountain Blue Foundation funding the construction of the new building.

For Ian, the move to Goonellabah represents more than just a change of address.

“The need isn’t going away,” he said. “Cost-of-living pressures, housing stress, flood recovery, they’re all still very real for people in Lismore. If this can help give people a bit of breathing room and a bit more dignity, then it’s absolutely worth doing.”