Hiromi’s pantry goes next level

Hiromi Hampton started a street pantry in Langwarrin during the 82-day pandemic lockdown of August to October 2021, when many people were struggling to put food on the table. It was Melbourne’s sixth lockdown.

She started small but the concept grew and a second pantry was added with the support of her neighbours and friends. The pantry in Melaleuca Cres is still going and has grown like topsy – it has extra shelves for dry goods as well as a fridge, freezer and large Esky. The pantry became so popular and well known that it attracted a few bad eggs who abused Hiromi’s generosity. She had to change the pantry’s name, put up signs explaining how it worked and install a security camera.

“Sadly, some people didn’t understand the concept of a community swap pantry and thought it was OK to just take whatever they wanted,” Hiromi said. She was reluctant to report people but a few were pulling up in their cars and cleaning out the pantry. “It was very disappointing. We’re not a charity; we rely on community donations. If people are in a very tough situation or need constant help, we recommend they contact a big charity.”

Hiromi was declared a pandemic hero by Dunkley federal Labor MP Peta Murphy in late 2021. “I’m proud to recognise her on behalf of our community,” Ms Murphy said.

The pantry idea came from Hiromi’s membership of a swap group in Pearcedale that meets once a month. Now called Little Swap & Share Pantry Langwarrin, Hiromi promotes it through a Facebook page that has 1000 members in Langwarrin, Cranbourne and Frankston. It is open from 8am to 7pm and “customers” are encouraged to bring items to share.

Hiromi and her future husband Kevin Hampton met on a website in about 2000. She came to Australia on a working holiday, the couple fell in love and married, and Hiromi stayed. Hiromi works for a high-end radio equipment company in Clayton. Kevin is a guillotine operator with a digital printing company.

The pantry and growing food are Hiromi’s labours of love but Kevin pitches in and is the designated garden builder. The couple laugh when Kevin says they used to have front and back gardens of lawn 15 years ago. They’re now full of vegies, fruit trees, flowers and chickens. Hiromi grows peaches, cherry plums, nectarines, mandarins, lemons, limes, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. She got the gardening bug as a child from her grandfather, who lived on a rural property near Nagoya. She lived in the suburbs with her parents but they still had a small garden. “I’m trying to encourage people to grow their own food and share any surplus. It’s the way to go if we want to reduce our food bills,” she said. “And you can make better meals from homegrown food.” Find out more on Facebook www.facebook.com/ groups/506274734045264