Tins in the Bin
Published on 09 January 2026
Coleraine’s own Anthony Bolden will be the first to tell you that he doesn’t want recognition. But not wanting recognition is very different from not deserving it.
For the past four years, Anthony has quietly run Tins in the Bin, a grassroots food drive that supports families right across the Southern Grampians.
Tins in the Bin operates on a simple promise, that no family goes without. This is backed by Anthony’s rock-solid belief that small acts of kindness have the power to change lives.
As Anthony tells it, the whole thing started with a single phone call. Four years ago, Anthony took stock of his situation and realised he was luckier than many people.
“I was standing on my own two feet, back in my family home in Coleraine. I had a job I could be proud of, and I always had food in the cupboard. But I knew that people were doing it tough, so I reached out to Mark Thomas, the food coordinator from the Salvation Army and asked what they needed. He gave me a pretty honest account, and it was pretty shocking,” he said.
New Demographics
Anthony learned that a person in need no longer fits the old stereotype.
“For many different reasons, the demographics of who need a hand have changed a lot. They’re people who are working or people living off their super but for one reason or another, life just hasn’t worked out the way they had hoped, and they need help to get back up and dust themselves off.”
Anthony started his Tins in the Bin initiative from there, reaching out to supermarkets and businesses in the area. The plan was simple, placing bins in supermarkets and asking people to put an extra item in their shopping trolley for the bins. He then collects all the bins and acts as a middleman, sharing them with food charities like the Salvation Army, St Vincent De Paul and the Hamilton Uniting Church.
Beyond food, Tins in the Bin also raises funds for practical supports like back-to-school vouchers, toys, Christmas trees and other essentials that can help families through difficult periods.
“The money for that work comes from the Family Fun Day,” he says, referring to the hugely successful annual event in Coleraine. “That way we can raise awareness and funds in time for Christmas and the school year ahead.”
The Family Fun Day for 2025 was held on 15 November at the Coleraine Railway Reserve, with food and drinks, rides, inflatables, kites and the whole community out to support this incredible local cause.
Anthony sees the enormous support that the people around him provide and what a difference that is making, saying:
“I’ve noticed that donations have been amazing lately, and they’ve become more regular. I think people are becoming more aware of how hard things are getting. Food scarcity is on people’s minds.”
“That’s really all we need,” he said, “for it to be on people’s minds. That way if they’re in the shops and they see something on special, they might grab two and chuck one in the bin. Simple stuff like that makes all the difference.”
Turbans 4 Australia
Like many grassroots efforts, donations can be unpredictable. Some weeks, Anthony collects several full bins. Other weeks, it’s only a handful of tins. But momentum shifted significantly last year. In the wake of the Grampians Bushfires, Amar Singh, Founder and President of Turbans 4 Australia, reached out to Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Dennis Heslin to ask about people who may have lost their homes.
“Thankfully we didn’t lose any homes in the 2024/25 Grampians bushfires,” said Cr Heslin. “Thanks to the incredible work of the CFA and an army of volunteers who sacrificed their Christmas to keep the community safe.”
“But I told Mr Singh that while homes were spared, there were still plenty of people who needed help. I told him I knew a guy who did a thing.
“I put Mr Singh in contact with Anthony and he just said that he was going to bring up a truck. That’s as vague as he left it and I think Anthony was floored when they arrived up with 22 pallets of food for the community.”
The donation supported dozens of households and eased pressure on local food relief services. This year, while assisting with wildfire recovery efforts in the United States, Mr Singh again reached out, this time directly to Anthony.
“He said he wanted to come again,” Anthony said with a laugh. “He didn’t tell us how much he was bringing, but we were more prepared this year.”
On 23 December 2025, the Turbans 4 Australia truck once again pulled into the region, posting up at the Salvation Army Church in Hamilton. They unloaded a truck filled to bursting with toys for boys and girls, bikes, balls, decorations and everything you need to make Christmas special. Anthony put the word out through his usual channels and connections and posted on community pages.
That incredible act made it possible for a lot of families in the areas to have the kind of Christmas they deserve.
A Year-Round Effort
While Christmas is often a time of generosity, Anthony is quick to remind people that hunger doesn’t disappear in January.
“It’s a struggle all year to get enough donations to feed everyone who needs it, but at least it gets easier at Christmas. We see a lot of Christmas food drives and that’s amazing, but the reality is that the people don’t just eat on Christmas day, they need to eat every day.”
When asked what people could do to help, Anthony suggested keeping it simple, and starting small.
“There are dozens of households and families who rely on foodbanks in this area, hundreds of people.
“You’d never know it to look at them for the most part. They come along neatly dressed, clean and well presented. It doesn’t take much these days to fall behind. An injury, a layoff in work, you miss just a few pay cheques and suddenly your back is against the wall. Rent is high, groceries are expensive, it really doesn’t take much.”
Sometimes, he says, all a family needs is a short bridge.
“A few weeks of groceries can be the difference between falling further and getting back on track. to bridge a gap and they’re up and running. A lot of people will find themselves in that position at some point in their lives, and they’ll know what an impact it is to just have something on the shelves.
“Imagine opening the cupboard and there’s nothing there, with three hungry kids watching you. It doesn’t bear thinking about.”
How to Help
Anthony wants to send one clear message. Even one single item matters.
If everyone were to just add one tin, one carton of long-life milk, a toothbrush, a packet of sugar, some biscuits - anything. If everyone just added one thing to their trolley and dropped it in the bin at the supermarket, you wouldn’t believe the change that would make.
“Every tin we have this week is one we didn’t have last week.”
Tins in the Bin collection points are permanently located at Coles Hamilton, Richies IGA Hamilton, Coleraine Post Office, Coleraine IGA, and FoodWorks Casterton. Direct donations can also be made through the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, and the Hamilton Uniting Church.
If you are in a position to help; please consider making it a habit to buy a little extra for the bin each week.
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