Neighbourly lunches link in services

SINCE last year, staff and volunteers with Creswick Neighbourhood Centre have been steadily rebuilding a past initiative aimed at providing a meal and a chat to the community each month.

Returning in August last year for the first time since before COVID, the non-profit’s monthly lunches are held on the second Tuesday of each month.

CNC manager Chrissy Austin said the initiative has grown from strength to strength since its revival.

“In the last month, it’s expanded to on the fourth Tuesday of the month we’re doing a takeaway community lunch option for people to take our dine-in meal home,” she said.

“We now have Anglicare doing their emergency relief parcels at the end of each meal so it’s been really lovely to link a few things together so it feels like a really safe space.

“We’re also getting community agencies to come along and set up an information table but also dine with people and have a chat about what their agency does.”

Food and produce donated by Foodbank Ballarat has been used to make meals like curries, lasagnas, hamburgers, salads, peach crumble, and soup, while remaining items are placed into CNC’s community pantry for anyone to have.

The program is also supported by Anglicare Victoria thanks to $1500 provided last year by the Dean Recreation Reserve committee through proceeds from their Dean Kite Festival and the Dean and District Sheepdog Trials.

Ms Austin said the initiative is about providing more than just a good meal.

“We’ve found since COVID, people are ready to start socialising face-to-face a little bit more and there’s been quite a cohort of vulnerable people in need of food and connection,” she said.

“We found there were some people around who were struggling with rough sleeping and struggling with finding cooking facilities.

“We’ve also got groups like Creswick Essential Bag Initiative bringing toiletries and las time we had a table of warm jackets for people to take. We’re looking at anything we can do to enhance the experience for people in need while providing this one-stop shop.”

Each lunch runs from 12pm to 1pm at 21/19 Victoria Street.