Outlet provides more than food
Connections and community flourish at Twin Rivers Food Outlet
For 25 years, Noel and Gayle Roberts have been the friendly faces behind the Twin Rivers Food Outlet at Eagleby.
More than that, they have become friends and confidants of many of their regular customers – and say it’s a privilege to do so.
The low-cost food relief outlet started life 25 years ago, with Noel seeing it as a way to offer help to “a handful of people who were doing it tough”. Now, the team serves around 350 customers each day.
“I am proud of what is accomplished here every day,” he says.
“We see connections and friendships being formed around us every day. We have regular customers and they are a part of our lives and us a part of theirs. They trust us to be there with them during their hard times and share their lives with us.
“That’s the real meaning of family. That’s what community is, and without this community participating and supporting us, we wouldn’t be anything.”
“We see connections and friendships being formed around us every day. We have regular customers and they are a part of our lives and us a part of theirs. They trust us to be there with them during their hard times and share their lives with us”
— Noel Roberts
Twin Rivers Centre Pastor and CEO Reuben Roos says the value of the food outlet to the community was made clear when their premises were burned down in a fire in 2005.
“At that time we were at the local shopping centre, and when the fire came people were crying at the loss of the outlet,” he says.
“One of the philosophies of the church is ‘if we weren’t here, would people notice’ – and this proved to us that we offered great value as part of the community.”
At that time, the community rallied and the outlet didn’t miss a beat – using donated fridges and a makeshift premises, they were back in business the next operational day.
“We like to say that it is not a hand out, it is a hand up – we want to offer people dignity in the way we operate and the way they are served at the outlet too,” says Reuben.
Twin Rivers’ other services are their CARE program, offering emergency relief and a range of wraparound services, and the Twin Rivers Church.
For more information about the food outlet head here – and to find out more about Twin Rivers, head here.
About the Twin Rivers Food Outlet
Other services in the City of Logan:
- Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) – 31 Station Rd, Logan Central
- Authentic Church Food Pantry – 350 Loganlea Rd, Meadowbrook
- Flagstone Foodbank, Flagstone Central Shopping Centre, corner of Homestead and Bushman Drives
- Gospel Lighthouse Christian Centre, 20 Duke Street, Slacks Creek
- Loaves and Fishes Street Meet Care Service – U1/26 Monte Street, Slacks Creek
- Logan West Community Pantry 13/98 Anzac Avenue, Hillcrest
- Lighthouse Care – 17-19 MonteKhoury Drive, Loganholme and 1/16 Central Court, Hillcrest
- Tribe of Judah Care Services – 101 Park Rd, Slacks Creek
