\u201cNO QUESTIONS and no agendas\u201d is the concept behind a community driven food sharing program based in Ocean Grove that is feeding vulnerable families across the Bellarine.<\/p>\n
Feed Me Bellarine is the brainchild of Lana Purcell, owner of Belly Bowls and Bellarine Catering, and chef Anthony Woodbury.<\/p>\n
The duo is working on saving food waste from two commercial food stores as well as other commercial cafes\/restaurants and food producers by sharing it with community members who may be needing it the most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been catering for about five years now and because we do bulk catering, we had a lot of food left over,\u201d Lana said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what we were doing internally was packaging up and giving it to staff and anyone we knew who was struggling at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when Anthony came on board, he pushed for us to feed more people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lana and Anthony, who have both experienced some hard times throughout their lives, stress that Feed Me Bellarine is not church-based or funded, and have created the concept \u201cno questions and no agendas\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have no connection with anything and just want to help\u2026 everyone needs a hand up now and then,\u201d Lana said.<\/p>\n
The first night Feed Me Bellarine operated was out of a church in Portarlington, where Anthony gave out about 50 meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe put it out to the community and people came to the church and picked up food and we did a few deliveries to houses in Ocean Grove, Portarlington, Drysdale, Clifton Springs and St Leonards,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Anthony said depending on how much food the businesses had left over would determine how many people they could help.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other night I went to St Leonards and a group of 10 people got enough for two nights each,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have 10 meals we\u2019ll go drop off as we have some regular families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lana said vulnerability was a strength, and that she wanted to make people aware that asking for help was not asking others to feel sorry for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve both been there and when you\u2019re vulnerable you need help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you ask, most people want to help you and they actually are appreciative that you can show you are vulnerable and say I\u2019m not ok.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anthony said he wanted to reach out to other caf\u00e9\/restaurants, bakeries and food producers, which might have left over food that Feed Me Bellarine could distribute to people in need.<\/p>\n
He also said that one day, Feed Me Bellarine hoped to not just give out food, but give people receiving the food an opportunity to give back, in a work experience type of setting.<\/p>\n
Lana said that it didn\u2019t matter if people were well off or not well off, but there was always a point in anyone\u2019s life when they might need a little bit of help and that\u2019s where Feed Me Bellarine was able to assist.<\/p>\n
To contact Feed Me Bellarine, phone 0422 798 791 or message them through their Facebook page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cNO QUESTIONS and no agendas\u201d is the concept behind a community driven food sharing program based in Ocean Grove that is feeding vulnerable families across the Bellarine. Feed Me Bellarine is the brainchild of Lana Purcell, owner of Belly Bowls and Bellarine Catering, and chef Anthony Woodbury. The duo is working on saving food waste […]<\/p>\n