Lending a helping hand to community groups

Donations from the Lions Club of Mount Gambier will help three local community organisations that provide services for people “doing it tough.”

The Sunset Community Kitchen, Saint Vincent De Paul Society – Mount Gambier and ac.care are among beneficiaries sharing a total of $14,000 from the club’s annual disbursement of funds raised by members.

“It’s one of the wonderful privileges of being president that you get to make these presentations, but this all reflects on the efforts of the entire club,” said outgoing President Beccy Field.

“The common thread with the community donations is that all these organisations are helping people who are doing it tough.

“These donations also lean into the highly successful Lions Foodbank Meat Project that we ran over several months,” she said.

The project saw sheep producers donate unprofitable animals to the club which paid to have the stock processed, resulting in more than 1.6 tonnes of lamb and mutton being supplied to Foodbank Mount Gambier.

The meat packs provided an estimated 6600 meals for people struggling with the cost of living.

Running the project cost the club $5000 in processing and other costs.

The initiative recently won the Lions’ organisation’s 2024 Top Club Service Project Award at State level.

Project leader Lion Peter Pignotti was presented with the certificate at the club’s final regular meeting before the changeover of office holders.

The annual disbursement also included funds for the Lions Eye Health Program run by the Lions Club of Mount Gambier, as well as amounts for the Australian Lions Foundation and Lions Clubs International Foundation.