Many people in the Shoalhaven go hungry regularly.
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Often their fridge or pantry is empty and they don't have money to buy food.
Now thanks to a group of volunteers, several organisations and a supermarket, people will have access to delicious home-made meals.
Groups including Dignity, PCYC Shoalhaven, Greenacres Disability Services and Woolworths Vincentia, along with a team of dedicated food preparation volunteers, are helping people put food on their tables.
A freezer full of food is now at the PCYC Shoalhaven and people can just come in and help themselves.
No identification is needed and you don't have to prove you are struggling to live.
People can come into the club and get food from Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm and the freezer is right near the front door.
The South Coast Register was recently at the PCYC Shoalhaven, in 72 Park Road Nowra, when the freezer was officially stocked for the first time.
We talked to a few people helping with this great program.
Dignity, a not for profit organisation and aims to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness by providing food, shelter, clothing, advocacy and education, is the prime program organiser.
A group of volunteers, aptly named Dignity Dishes, loves to get cooking and prepare the meals.
From the volunteers
Kathy Foley and Dalton Walton are two members of the Dignity Dishes volunteer cooking team.
They provide meals which are frozen and put into containers for distribution.
"I saw a need to help people in the community and providing food is a good way to help people," Kathy said.
"Everybody needs food and I do enjoy cooking."
Kathy also likes to help people who are in tough and difficult times.
They supply food not only for the new program but for people who are homeless.
Dawn said homelessness could strike anyone at anytime.
"It could be leaving a relationship that is toxic and you could end up living in a car with your kids," Dawn said.
"With Dignity Dishes for me and Dignity the charity the arrangement is do what you can when you can."
Dawn has a business to run and family commitments and is able to do volunteer work.
"There is no pressure to always be there and I fit it when I can," Dawn said.
"I feel I am giving back to my community.
"I cook for about four hours a week and that produces about 16 to 20 dishes."
The Dignity Dishes volunteers love to cook nice dishes for people to enjoy.
Kathy also suggests people in need of support should contact Links2Home.
Link2Home provides information, conducts assessments, as well as makes referrals to homelessness services across NSW.
Link2home is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year on 1800 152 152.
More about the program
Non-judgemental is a good way to describe this latest program.
"So anyone in any circumstance can come in and have access to meals," Dignity's volunteer and donations coordinator Sherin Fishwick said.
"We don't want to see identification, we don't want you to sign into a book or know if you are on a benefit or not on a benefit.
"It's basically come in and take what you need."
Related
PCYC Shoalhaven manager Natalie Face said they were happy to support such a great initiative.
Natalie said you did not have to be a PCYC member to take some food.
Youths who take part in PCYC programs can take food.
"The kids who come in here for a program that maybe don't have food at home don't have to ask for a meal - they are welcome to take a meal as well," Natalie said.
Natalie said the kids could take meals home to their families.
The PCYC manager added they were all about empowering young people.
"We don't want to exclude anyone and if we have young people coming in here who do have issues in their families, at home or with their friends and maybe they are having difficulties buying and sourcing food then they come in here," she said.
"This is a safe place for kids and pairing with Dignity made sense.
"We offer the people, the resources and the facility so why not be able to offer some food as well."
Sherin said Dignity had been running the program successfully at the Mittagong PCYC for two years.
The Greenacres team
The local Greenacres Disability Services team had the honour of filling up the freezer with the first load of food.
The Greenacres clients have been busy in the kitchen and they arrived with all sorts of wonderful food.
Spaghetti bolognese, curried sausages, hickory chicken, chicken cacciatore and soup are just some of the food now in the freezer.
The Greenacres team cooks each Tuesday and it's something they love doing.
Where does the food come from?
The food comes from Oz Harvest and Woolworths, Vincenta.
"Woolworths Vincentia has sent in about 70 kilograms of food for Dignity Dishes volunteers to cook with," Sherin said.
Protein (meat products) and fresh vegetables are some of the things sent into the volunteer cooks.
Without this program, much of this food would be wasted.
Dignity supplements the food they get with staples (pasta and rice for example) and anything else they need comes from Oz Harvest.
Oz Harvest is Australia's leading food rescue charity and collects quality surplus food, distributes it to people in need and diverts food from being wasted.
The plastic containers are also supplied.
