By PAUL MILLAR
SPARE Meals Geelong, a non-judgemental team of 20 volunteers, has been helping battlers with about 150 family’s fed a week on average.
Carin Shiell, a co-ordinator with the group, said the organisation was “helping a lot of families that are in a tight spot”.
“We aim to fill the gap that exists between everyday battlers and other food relief providers taking some of the pressure off other groups. We offer temporary assistance, rather than long-term help,” Ms Shiell said.
The Facebook-based group does not require Healthcare card identification and is not burdened by the bureaucracy that frustrates many battlers when they need a hand.
Up to 20 volunteers make it happen, cooking, storing and delivering meals.
Spare Meals Geelong started about 18 months ago and has tapped into the kindness of locals willing to give to help others.
That giving can come in the form of collecting excess fruit for the garden, clearing out the pantry or donating canned food or vegetables.
Since it was founded a Lovely Banks farmer has supplied vegetables to the organisation, which have been turned into hearty soups.
Bakers also donate and volunteers are prepared to deliver meals to families that have no way of picking food up from the volunteers.
Healthy meals are cooked up by volunteers in a community kitchen and stored in the homes of up to eight group members at Lara, Corio, Herne Hill, Highton, Grovedale, Breakwater, Leopold and Bannockburn.
Members contact the admin via the Facebook group to arrange collection at a mutually agreed time from the nearest location.
