Good souls required

By Carol Saffer

Soul Food Inc is a not-for-profit organisation providing a two-course free lunch to their guests each Wednesday in the hall of the Bacchus Marsh Uniting Church.

Jenny Kearney and her team of 25 volunteers prepare and cook the meals; set the tables; hand out takeaway dishes; then clean and pack up the hall leaving it how they found it.

“Life can be a struggle sometimes, and with the increase in prices lately, we are now serving double the guests as in the past,” Ms Kearny said.

Ms Kearny recognised the need in the community for Soul Food.

“I have the time to give, and the other volunteers feel the same,” she said.

“Everyone has lots of fun working together, and we enjoy what we do.”

Soul Food cooks, feeds and welcomes around 100 to 120 guests each week from Bacchus Marsh and surrounding districts.

The Combined Churches of Bacchus Marsh support the program, and the Bacchus Marsh Uniting Church provides the venue free of charge.

Ms Kearney said without the support of some Bacchus Marsh businesses, Soul Food would not have existed for the past 13 years.

“There is nothing in it for them financially, yet our sponsors help us every week,” she said.

FoodWorks supermarket and the Bacchus Marsh Community Bank provide financial assistance, while Darley Bakery, Frankly Fruits and Matilda Bakery Café in Melton South donate their produce and products.

“Coles in Bacchus Marsh recently came on board as a sponsor donating a weekly box of fruit,” Ms Kearney said.

“We owe all our sponsors our gratitude; we would not be able to carry on without them.”

Due to price increases, Soul Food is still in need of donations.

“We are resourceful cooks, but the growing cost of raw ingredients makes it harder to feed our guests,” she said.

Ms Kearney is appealing to local non-food businesses and organisations to help fund Soul Food financially to keep the program running.

Contact Ms Kearney on 0408 104 155 for further information.