Formerly known as the Citizen Advice Bureau, CF&FS has supported the Cobram community for more than 40 years through emergency relief, financial assistance and referral services.
CF&FS emergency relief program co-ordinator Sarah Patching said she was new to the role but had already found it incredibly rewarding.
“I've really loved watching and learning from the volunteers who've been doing it for ever,” she said.
“The main thing we do is provide emergency relief support to people who are coming in off the street experiencing homelessness, domestic violence or are just struggling to make ends meet.
“A lot of what we do is a brief assessment around their needs when they come in, and then we often refer to other services.
“For example, if they’re homeless, we get them in touch with BeyondHousing or The Orange Door.”
CF&FS also helps with food parcels, toiletries, crisis packs, overdue utility bills and no-interest loans.
Ms Patching said the no-interest loan scheme was for people needing emergency financial support.
“If someone’s fridge breaks down, and they have no money to buy a new one, they can get a quote, bring it to us, and we help complete the paperwork before sending it off,” she said.
“They usually get a response within 48 hours. It’s a fantastic initiative.”
Ms Patching said CF&FS also assisted people struggling with overdue rent or utility bills by helping them contact providers and apply for financial hardship support.
“Nowadays we're even getting couples that are working coming to us because of the cost of living, cost of petrol, groceries and everything,” she said.
“In the short time I've been here, it's felt very rewarding to have people come in extremely distressed and be able to provide just a little bit of support to make things easier for them.”
Ms Patching said Cobram had a strong volunteer culture within the community.
“There are some really great volunteers who have been driving community support for a very long time,” she said.
CF&FS is now seeking more volunteers to support the emergency relief program.
“Volunteers will be dealing with people coming in and helping to refer them to services, or they'll be making up little care packs as needed,” she said.
She said volunteers would receive free training before starting and only needed to be available for four hours a week or fortnight.
CF&FS volunteer Bob Beggs has been volunteering since the beginning and said the most rewarding part of the role was achieving a “good outcome”.
“It makes your day when you can help somebody,” he said.
People interested in volunteering can contact Sarah on 03 4800 4835 or visit the CF&FS office at 18 Pine St, Cobram.
The office is open from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday.
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