2023 funding recipients
Congratulations to the successful 2023 Food Grant projects.
The Kirribilli Centre – The Good Life Program
Our program brings our community together to talk, share, and look at ways to lead a happier more fulfilled life, through easy, everyday practices. The program is fantastic as it creates community, it reduces social isolation, it helps our community make friends, they laugh more, they interact and most importantly, those most vulnerable make connections over discussion and food. Each week we provide morning tea for the participants, as we know (due to economic reasons) some of our participants are skipping meals.
St Vincent de Paul Society NSW – Share our Plate
St Vincent de Paul purchases supermarket gift cards, which enable many of the poor and the sick across the North Sydney LGA to purchase essential food items. Without this assistance, many will simply go hungry. The calls for assistance increase each year (while the number contacting the Crows Nest Vinnies Centre is in the 450-500 per year, the increase of 'walk-ins' to the Centre has increased dramatically in the past 12 months) and we aim always to respond quickly to those calls. Volunteers run the service.
Taldumande Youth Services – young people Christmas BBQ and lunch
Many young people at Taldumande can’t spend Christmas with their families, so Taldumande provides a Christmas celebration barbecue. Music and games are organised so everyone has fun. Our refuges provide a festive Christmas Day meal for all our children and young people who do not have anywhere else to be. Food hampers and food vouchers are distributed to young people and their families who are struggling to provide enough food on their tables.
Phoenix House – Open Kitchen program
Phoenix House's long-running 'Open Kitchen' program provides support to our clients between the ages of 12 - 24 who are at-risk of homelessness, experiencing educational disruption, or issues with mental health. As-part of our on-site case management and / or counselling services, clients are actively invited to grab food from our fridges and pantries (hence the 'Open Kitchen'). The food is regularly re-stocked, and our aim is to balance abundance, variety (and, of course, nutrition!)
Crows Nest Centre – Festive Food Hampers
Each year the Crows Nest Centre provides 250 festive food hampers to people who are isolated, unwell, ageing or living with a disability. Many of these people live alone and have little to no contact with family or friends. We hope to spread some joy this Christmas, especially given older people are very vulnerable.
