Front: Phil Sealey, south east coordinator for youth programs at William Angliss Institute and Casey Café owner, with Reverend Paul Creasey. Back from left: William Angliss students Yasemin Webb, Mat Alderson, Bianca Wright Giles and Dann Krause, Leanne Petridis from the Cranbourne Information Support Service, Robert Beeton, Scott Thompson and Cranbourne MP Jude Perera. Picture: Meagan Rogers.
By Sarah Schwager
A COMMUNITY kitchen aims to help beat the blues for locals doing it hard in Cranbourne.
The ‘soup kitchen’, the only one of its kind to run in the area, will be trialed at the Casey Café in Cranbourne this Sunday night.
The idea is to provide free hot meals for poorer or struggling residents. If the demand is there, it will be made a regular event.
The kitchen came about after Cranbourne MP Jude Perera approached volunteer group The Singh Family about running kitchens in his electorate in Frankston North, Carrum Downs and Cranbourne.
The group caters for meals of vegetables and rice at a number of kitchens around Melbourne.
It is well known in St Kilda, where it has set up a community kitchen at Sacred Heart Mission.
After much discussion, The Singh Family agreed to run trial kitchens in the area.
From 5pm this Sunday, the kitchen will be open in Cranbourne serving hot, nutritious meals for those who need it.
Mr Perera said some Cranbourne residents were doing it tough, and he wanted to add a little hope and happiness to their lives.
“Unfortunately with the rise in interest rates, rise in petrol costs, employment instability with the new IR reforms, cost of food, cost of rental properties and general challenges in life, I have come across many residents in Cranbourne who are doing it tough.”
Casey Cafe owner Phil Sealey said he was happy to have the cafe as a permanent venue if the event was successful.
Mr Sealey, who is also the south east coordinator for youth programs at William Angliss Institute, said his students would also be involved in the kitchen if it continued.
Casey councillor Steve Beardon said the soup kitchen was a great initiative and he was 100 per cent behind it.
He said he had already sent a $100 cheque to the William Angliss Institute to help out on the day.
“I will be giving more of my time of course and more ward funds to help out,” Cr Beardon said.
“That’s what we do in Australia, we help out.”
The free community kitchen will be held at the Casey Cafe, at the Casey Library Complex at 65 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East from 5pm to 7pm.
