Organisers who provide around 100 healthy, home-cooked meals per week to those in need say they are urgently seeking donations to continue the service.
Mark Franklyn from Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre (MDNC) says, ‘The patchwork funding that covered the cost of running the service has ended and MDNC is urgently seeking donations from our caring community to be able to continue offering this unique and vital service in the northern half of the Shire.’
‘The centre program More Than a Meal is a safe, easy-to-access service held in a community space at the front of the centre, called The Hub.
‘This service welcomes people of our area to drop in, connect with others, participate in activities and enjoy a nutritious shared lunch Monday through Thursday.
Visibly improved
‘Donations arrive from local farmers, supermarkets, stores and, hopefully, you.
‘Volunteers assist a cook to skilfully create delicious meals from what has been donated.
‘Since 2015 when MDNC began serving wholesome cooked meals, physical and mental health of people accessing the service has visibly improved,’ Franklyn says.
‘Skilled centre staff work inside The Hub to identify and connect people to support services such as emergency relief, financial counselling, community housing and drug and alcohol services. If you want to be a community builder and assist this frontline service to those in our midst who are in need, then please contribute what you can.’
Everyone is welcome to drop by the Mullum Neighbourhood Centre to make a donation or get a close look at how the team are actually caring for our local community.’
Visit www.mdnc.org.au and choose the ‘donate now’ button. All donations are tax deductible.
Who are the government agencies that dropped the funding, and what arguments, if any, did they give for doing so?