Moruya Mail, 1 April 2026
The Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA) run a Moruya Food Program where we collect food from Aldi and Coles in Batemans Bay and from Woolworths Moruya. Each Monday we pack the food and distribute to families in need. This was all done by volunteers using their own vehicles.
Then two years ago SHASA secured a grant from Fire to Flourish to purchase an electric van we call EVAN. EVAN is a Nissan ENV200 commercial van. It has excellent storage capacity and the boys can easily slide the crates of food in and out. It’s an example of a local story of adaptation.
Our van drivers, Glenn and Bryce use the electric van, EVAN, to pick up food from Aldi three times a week. They deliver food on a Monday to SHASA’s Moruya Food Program and the Anglican Parish Red Door Cafe. On Wednesday and Thursdays they deliver food to the Southern Life Church Pantry.
EVAN is charged off a residential rooftop solar system which was purchased with the Fire to Flourish Grant. Micro Energy Systems was able to reuse solar panels collected by Repurposing for Resilience. By charging EVAN off the electricity created by the sun, running costs are extremely low.
By thinking ahead and buying EVAN we have insulated these Moruya Food Charities from the crippling costs of rising fuel prices. The 30 March ABC Article Food charities appeal for federal government help as fuel prices burden volunteers and budgets – ABC News highlights the adverse impact the dependence on petrol and diesel vehicles is having on food charities like SecondBite, OzHarvest, Foodbank and Meals on Wheels.
SHASA’s decision to go electric 2 years ago is a nice little local precedent for any other organisations who make regular deliveries that might be considering making the transition to an electric van.