By ALANA MITCHELSON
A network of volunteers has launched a Christmas food drive so members can cook festive dishes for Geelong’s needy.
Spare Meals Geelong co-ordinator Kristy Cooper said recipients had burst into tears on her doorstep upon collecting meals.
“It’s really moving,” she said.
“My house is a drop-off and pick-up point for donations and the responses we get from people are varied.
“Sometimes people are very quiet and embarrassed and you really feel for them.”
Spare Meals co-ordinators are bracing for a busy Christmas after the group doubled in size with 3000 more Facebook members in the past year.
They expect demand for donations to increase toward the end of December and throughout January.
“I think a lot of people can blow their budget over Christmas and then there are back-to-school costs not long after that,” Ms Cooper said.
“If you’re doing some Christmas food shopping or Christmas baking, then we ask people to think about putting an extra packet of something in the trolley or making an extra batch of cookies to donate to someone less fortunate.
“I can proudly say that we haven’t been out of meals for over a year. Between the support of our kitchen and the community we’ll usually have 50 to 100 incoming meals a day during weekdays.”
Candy canes, bon-bons, mince pies, lolly bags, Christmas cakes or puddings, shortbread cookies and advent calendars have been popular among theme-specific donations since the drive launched in mid-November.
The project intended to reduce food wastage by helping people in the community, Ms Cooper said.
About 150 families received food weekly, she said.
Spare Meals has drop-off/pick-up points at Lara, Corio, Norlane, Norlane West, Hamlyn Heights, Grovedale, Belmont, East Geelong, Breakwater and Leopold.
Ms Cooper said more information was available at facebook.com/groups/SpareMeals.
