Here to help: Feed Me Surf Coast to launch very soon

A COLLECTIVE effort between the Torquay SLSC, a Bellarine community food project and one of the region’s federal Parliamentarians has established a new Surf Coast-based program for the most vulnerable in a matter of days.

Feed Me Surf Coast will be broadly similar to Feed Me Bellarine, which was set up by Lana Purcell in Ocean Grove last year and now feeds the most needy families across the Bellarine Peninsula each week.

The Surf Coast side of the project will use the kitchen at the Torquay SLSC clubhouse, donations from local businesses, volunteers and some paid staff to create fresh meals.

Feed Me Bellarine has already delivered 100 frozen meals to the freezers at the Torquay SLSC clubhouse to get the program up and running from as early as this week.

Discussions about Feed Me Surf Coast began about two weeks ago.

Torquay SLSC president Tiff Quinlan said she offered the use of the clubrooms – which have closed due to coronavirus restrictions – to Corangamite federal member Libby Coker for emergency relief.

“We’ve got bunkrooms here, and a commercial kitchen… Libby connected me with Lana, and wow, it’s just snowballed from there.

“The support from local businesses has been unbelievable.”

Ms Purcell said it did not surprise her that Feed Me Surf Coast had gone from concept to reality so quickly.

“When we do things from the heart like we do, we work as fast as we can.”

She has already had 10 people ask if they could volunteer to help.

Ms Purcell said there would be an ongoing need on the Surf Coast to create meals for the most vulnerable long after the coronavirus pandemic was over.

“We were dealing with a crisis situation before COVID-19, so we want to keep uplifting people within society.”

Ms Coker is providing $2,000 in seed funding to pay for food handling certificates and the like.

She said Feed Me Surf Coast was not about usurping the good work already being done in the area, but there was an ability for organisations to share resources and spread their efforts further.

She agreed the service would be useful not just in the short term.

“There will be ramifications (after the pandemic), and I think the need will continue.”

For more information, make a donation or to sign up as a volunteer, head to feedmesurfcoast.com.au.