Cottage industry: Queenscliff charity gives back to the community

COTTAGE by the Sea may have temporarily closed its gates, and while children may no longer be coming in, hot food and essentials are heading out thanks to chef Marc Dean.
Cottage chief executive officer Adam Wake said the Queenscliff charity had provided 130 years of service to disadvantaged children thanks to the community’s ongoing support, and now was an opportunity for them to give back.
“It’s the brainwave of our chef Marc. We’ve got an amazing team, people whose hearts are so driven by good principles, wanting to provide benefits to the community where we can.
“That’s always been through the children, but we can’t do that right now. We have lots of essentials at the cottage and Marc – he’s passionate about what he does – suggested we use the provisions we have to help the elderly.”
What began as an idea to help the elderly has evolved into weekly meals delivered to vulnerable people across the Borough – all stemming from a recent shopping experience Mr Dean had.
“I was out shopping, and everyone was panic buying and it occurred to me how selfish we really are. We’re not looking out for each other, one lady in particular was hoarding loads of food,” he said.
“Everyone is in a desperate situation and she turned around and said to her husband ‘They’re out of soap, can you believe this’. I wanted to say ‘It’s people like you hoarding and panicking that’s causing the shortages’.
“I started to think about the cottage. Our camps have been cancelled but we have a good supply of toiletries… I thought we could help the oldies out there that are desperate for this stuff.”
Mr Dean said he approached Mr Wake with the idea of putting together and delivering some toiletry bags.
“We did that and got some really great feedback. Then we stepped it up and thought we could use our other resources – I’m a chef, we have a cool room and fruit and vegetables that come through SecondBite.”
The cottage has been working closely with the Borough of Queenscliffe, Feed Me Bellarine, SecondBite, Geelong Connected Communities and Geelong Food Relief Centre.
“I cooked the food, then went out and delivered it. I thanked the oldies and explained we wanted to give something back to those who’ve supported the cottage for decades. It’s been good to have a chat with them; a lot of them are scared and worried,” Mr Dean said.
If you need help with essential toiletries or nourishing meals and you live in Point Lonsdale or Queenscliff, email [email protected] or phone: 5258 1663.