Partnership from the kitchen to the course unites Surf Coast

MORE than $5,000 has changed hands in what looks to be the start of a long-term partnership between two well-known Torquay organisations.

Following the donations made by Torquay residents as part of a recent furniture clearance initiative, The Sands Hotel has donated $5,000 to local community food charity and social enterprise Feed Me Surf Coast to help with overhead costs as both bodies look to kick-off a long-standing and fruitful relationship.

The Sands Torquay throughout mid-late August was taking cash-note donations from residents in exchange for hundreds of units of old furniture and appliances as the hotel began refurbishments on 112 rooms. Some of the furniture also went to Feed Me Surf Coast to aid those suffering from domestic violence.

Funds raised were then dispersed to local charities and sporting clubs, but $5,000 was earmarked for the hard work being undertaken at Feed Me Surf Coast.

The ownership group of The Sands then presented a large cheque to coordinator Brooke Murphy in front of the resort as a sign of partnership, with more joint initiatives in the works for down the track.

“For myself and most certainly the whole team, this donation is just proof of the concrete recognition that there are good corporate businesspeople in the community,” Ms Murphy said.

“Whilst being financially successful through their own hard work, they have not forgotten that many others have experienced some fairly significant hardship.”

The money will go to various overhead expenses that Feed Me Surf Coast needs to pay for to keep their operations running. These expenses include rent, utilities, insurance, refrigeration, and council rights, which total around $80,000 per year.

“We as local owners live here in Torquay, we want the community support and we also want to support the community as much as possible,” co-owner of The Sands Damian Holman said.

“It’s a start with the $5,000. It does not mean we are going to end it there. We want to continue this relationship.

“The next step for us is The Sands Giving Tree with Christmas literally on our doorstep.

“We potentially might also be able to offer our facilities for Feed Me Surf Coast to use and hold functions for. We may even hold some charity days on the golf course.”

The Sands Giving Tree is expected to be up in November where anyone can drop gifts off for children of any age. Next, Feed Me Surf Coast will distribute the gifts donated throughout their centres across the region.

Feed Me Surf Coast currently hosts 63 unpaid volunteers that clock up approximately 450 hours per week and provide close to 1,500 meals a day in their commercial kitchen.