Every month, the JRS Foodbank distributes over 1,000 kilograms of rice to the families and individuals we support.

Thanks to the Parramatta Rice Club, we know that essential supply is covered.

The Parramatta Rice Club (PRC) began in late 2025 after a conversation between former JRS Foodbank Officer Michael Melville and a parishioner from St Patrick’s Cathedral Parish.

They were looking for a practical way the parish could support the JRS Foodbank.

Rather than purchasing items individually from retail stores, they decided to focus on one of the Foodbank’s most important staples: rice.

Rice is valued across many of the cuisines of the people JRS supports, with basmati rice particularly popular.

Through connections with wholesalers, the PRC has also been able to purchase rice below retail price, making the parish community’s donations go further. The group has also sourced other Foodbank essentials, including salt, biscuits and a large delivery of mixed pantry items.

And for JRS, the regular monthly donations are particularly valuable.

“The reliable supply of rice allows us to plan Foodbank purchasing and donations with greater certainty,” shared  Kristina Lawton, Food and Material Aid Officer.

“This also helps our generous community of supporters prioritise the other essential items that are needed by the people we serve. As the last Foodbank in Western Sydney for refugees and people seeking asylum, this helps us ensure nobody needs to go without.”

We are grateful not only for what the Parramatta Rice Club provides, but for the way they have found a practical and sustainable way for their parish community to support the people we serve.

“Everyone sees the problems that are around us: poverty, inadequate housing, families struggling with the cost of living,” shared PRC Chair Lyndyll Mahoney. 

“For those who have come to Australia as refugees, these difficulties are even greater as they work to build new lives.”

Lyndyll says the group grew from a belief that communities can achieve more when they work together.

“People often feel that these problems are too great for a single individual to overcome, but by combining together, a lot can be achieved.”

“The families supported by the Jesuit Refugee Service are our sisters and brothers in Christ: it is a duty and a privilege to assist them in our small way.”

It also takes real coordination, and a community effort, to bring an initiative like this together.

Treasurer Hilda Pais says the group keeps its administration simple and transparent, including through an end-of-financial-year report for donors, and a fee-free bank account courtsery of a friendly local bank manager, who is also a member.

“The PRC is an Unincorporated Association, with parishioners making regular contributions that allow the group to plan its purchases and deliveries,” shares Hilda.

“It is actually quite easy to sort out the legal side: any parish can do it, and we are always available to advise. Of course we are always looking for new members!”

The Parramatta Rice Club is a great example of what a local community can do when it identifies a practical need and works together to meet it.

It is also a reminder that there are many ways to support refugees and people seeking safety, and that small, consistent contributions can become significant when a community gets behind them.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the Parramatta Rice Club and the parishioners of St Patrick’s Cathedral Parish for their ongoing support of the JRS Foodbank.