Ensuring healthcare workers have healthy meals

FRONTLINE workers have a lot on their plates right now, so the community is making sure that they have a hot meal on their plates at home.

For the past four weeks, The Provincial Hotel has been funded by PETstock to offer between 100 and 120 meals per week for Ballarat Health Services.

As of 1 May, the Ballarat-born pet care provider has donated 450 food items to frontline workers.

PETstock charity coordinator Jessica Guilfoyle said the company has a close and friendly relationship with the restaurant.

“We share a building with The Provincial, so we’ve seen the effects of COVID-19 on the community firsthand,” she said. “Over the years, PETstock has received an enormous amount of support from Ballarat so it’s a great honour to be able to give back to the community during tough times.”

The produce is supplied by Eat Drink West, turned into a meal by The Provincial’s specialty chefs and then delivered to the Base Hospital inside one of Nature’s Cargo’s refrigerated trucks.

Provincial owner Simon Coghlan said donating the meals has proved to be mutually beneficial for all involved.

“We’re supporting local producers, we’re supporting our staff and we’re supporting those working hard on the frontlines,” he said.

“Nurses and doctors are working hard enough as it is, they shouldn’t have to come home and worry about what they’re going to have for lunch tomorrow, or what their family will have for dinner that night.”

PETstock has arranged with The Provincial to keep up the meal donations for at least another four weeks.