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<\/p>\nA FUNDING boost worth $25,000 will help the Ballina Hot Meal Centre keep its service operational for the next 12 months.<\/p>\n
There has been a growing demand for the service which provides free meals for homeless, disadvantaged and lonely people from Ballina and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
Ballina MP Tamara Smith said she lobbied for the boost, which came from the NSW Premier’s Discretionary Fund.<\/p>\n
“It’s such a heartfelt moment to see the premier (Chris Minns) help keep the doors open,” Ms Smith said.<\/p>\n
“Byron Shire has the highest number of rough sleepers in the state and Ballina is not far behind it.<\/p>\n
“This gives us another year to figure out how we’re going to get more funding.<\/p>\n
“As modest as this funding is, it’s going to keep the lights on and the meals prepared by the volunteers for the next year.<\/p>\n
Ms Smith was joined by Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig at the centre for the funding announcement.<\/p>\n
It has been operational for 27 years and was quickly re-established after it was closed for a short time in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
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Volunteer Col Lee was instrumental in getting it running again and it now operates as an independent organisation.<\/p>\n
They serve 300 meals twice a week with a crew of about 34 volunteers.<\/p>\n
“We have seen an upsurge in people struggling, a lot of people use this facility for their main meals,” Mr Lee said.<\/p>\n
“We’re seeing a lot of middle-aged people with families in here now, too, the demand for our service just keeps growing.<\/p>\n
“Our volunteers are the heart of this place, when we closed, they missed it as much as the people who we assist.”<\/p>\n
Mr Hoenig said he was grateful for the volunteers when he spoke with the centre’s general manager Dawn Sword.<\/p>\n
“It is incredibly important, we’re talking about people who can’t feed themselves and rely on these wonderful volunteers,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Some of them were vulnerable themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they kept turning up to provide the service.<\/p>\n
“I was grateful to meet with Dawn and the volunteers who provide not only a meal but a friendly face, offering comfort and support to those who need it most.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A FUNDING boost worth $25,000 will help the Ballina Hot Meal Centre keep its service operational for the next 12 months. There has been a growing demand for the service which provides free meals for homeless, disadvantaged and lonely people from Ballina and surrounding areas. Ballina MP Tamara Smith said she lobbied for the boost, […]<\/p>\n