Our City Supporting Those in Need

While the Civic Centre may have been eerily quiet due to COVID-19 restrictions, we’ve been far from closed, with many of Council’s services operating as normal via Online Services. We’ve also been busy working with businesses, community leaders and residents to coordinate a proactive approach to address the impact of the pandemic on our City.

BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR COUNCIL

Many of Council’s services operate as normal, even during lockdown, however if you are unsure or would like further information, please contact Council via our ‘Online Services’ available through our website or call our Customer Experience team on: (02) 4732 7777.

Online Services are available to access 24/7 allowing residents to report problems and lodge requests online at a time that’s convenient to them. Our online services cover information and queries related to bins and waste, parks, buildings and venues, roads and footpaths, trees, and vegetation. Visit penrith.city/onlineservices

When 12 suburbs in our LGA were identified as areas of concern due to public health orders. Council engaged early with local businesses and community leaders to identify core needs and challenges. There had never been a more important time to pull together our resources and community services to respond.

Three separate surveys were conducted at the start of the lockdown with residents, businesses, and community leaders to reveal the most pressing issues. This enabled Council to gather an evidencebased perspective for decision making.

Feedback from local schools and community organisations saw the establishment of an emergency food relief hub for those struggling in lockdown. The contactless Hamper Hub in North St Marys helped some of our City’s most vulnerable residents with emergency food supplies delivered through a ‘drive and collect’ style service.

The Hub was coordinated by Council and delivered in partnership with local services, including FoodBank, WestCare and Community Junction, and with support from volunteer group Turbans 4 Australia.

Staff from Ripples Leisure Centre were on hand operating the Hamper Hub. A welcomed opportunity for them to help the community in a different way, while the Ripples facilities remained closed under the Public Health Order. The Hamper Hub opened on Thursday 2 September, with over 30 food hampers distributed on the first day.

Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. The food hampers included nonperishable, essential items such as rice, pasta and beans, sauce tins, canned fruit and vegetables, longlife milk, tea bags and freeze-dried coffee.

With bookings essential, the drive-in only service mean staff could load hampers into car boots ensuring the safety of our staff and community members.

Alison Feilan of Ripples jumping in to assist our community

Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown OAM said financial and social disparities are greater than ever in our City and the Hamper Hub aimed to ease some of the burden placed on those in our suburbs that faced the toughest of restrictions.

We know people in our community are doing it tough. The sad reality of this pandemic is that there are families and individuals out there who were unable to put food on their plate and we’re hearing many stories like this directly from our residents,

Cr McKeown said.

In addition to the Hamper Hub, Council continued to work closely with local service providers and was offering free personal protective equipment (PPE) for those working in the community with the support of charity Good360.

Given the disruption caused by the pandemic, local sports clubs will also be supported in their recovery, with Council once again waiving all seasonal sportsground fees and charges for the summer period. 39 clubs, from 13 different sports across our City will benefit from the fee waiver for the 2021/2022 summer season (18 September 2021 – 6 March 2022).

Local businesses facing ongoing economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 restrictions have also benefited from fee relief, with the waiving of footpath dining fees for cafes and restaurants in the Penrith and St Marys CBDs to help them recover as they reopen for trade.

As our City deals with the pandemic, regularly connecting with multifaith, multicultural and business leaders. has allowed us to understand, interpret, and share, ongoing and emerging needs to facilitate a coordinated response. Another survey is underway, the information from which will assist Council in monitoring and measuring how our community is coping during this extremely difficult time.

For the most up-to-date information on restrictions and services currently available to the community, visit penrith.city/covid19.

PENRITH PROUD

Launched in November 2020, Council’s Penrith Proud campaign continues to promote the benefits of buying local. Finding ourselves at home for a large part of this year means many businesses have been forced to close or adjust their ways of operating. The way we buy local might have changed, but the need is just as high. The Penrith economy is underpinned by nearly 15,000 businesses – 96% of those are small businesses - who have been hard hit by the impacts of COVID-19.

The Penrith community has shown its true colours during the COVID-19 crisis and our local businesses have seen tremendous support from new customers and some of their long-term fans. As we emerge from lockdown it’s an important time to continue that support to choose local first. We want our local businesses to keep their doors open, keep local jobs at home and eventually thrive as a result of the Penrith community’s support.

ASK YOURSELF, CAN I BUY THIS LOCALLY?

Penrith Proud and St Marys Strong is an initiative of the Rising Strong COVID-19 Recovery Plan.

Follow Penrith Proud on Facebook or Instagram and share your Penrith Proud moments with us. We’re all in this together and we want to make sure Penrith thrives after the pandemic as we’re stronger together.