{"id":346808,"date":"2024-04-12T18:10:33","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T08:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=346808"},"modified":"2024-04-16T19:11:20","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T09:11:20","slug":"groups-sign-up-to-offer-free-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/04\/12\/groups-sign-up-to-offer-free-meals\/","title":{"rendered":"Groups Sign Up To Offer Free Meals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Guest speaker Beth Wood shared her experiences about a similar project in Dalby (Photo: Marietta Wetzig)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Salvation Army Major Heather Stamp … the free meals will be served in the Salvos’ Hall in Kingaroy Street (Photo: Marietta Wetzig)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 12, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

The official launch of the South Burnett Support Alliance’s week-day meal project has already paid off, with five groups signing up to help.<\/p>\n

The Alliance has been hosting Sunday lunches at the Old Railway Station Building in O’Neill Square, Kingaroy, for some time but has been working towards holding free, once-a-week meals on Wednesdays, too.<\/p>\n

The launch of the new project occurred this week in the Kingaroy Town Hall Reception Room.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Secretary Marietta Wetzig said more than 30 people turned up to learn more about the proposal, which is based on a similar initiative in Dalby.<\/p>\n

Guest speaker was Beth Wood who chairs “Dalby Circles Of Care”, a loosely connected group of churches, service clubs and community organisations whose goal is to help people who need a hand in Dalby.<\/p>\n

The Dalby group organises a free meal on Thursday evenings for people in need.<\/p>\n

Marietta said the South Burnett Support Alliance would co-ordinate the local project; individual groups would take responsibility for providing the food for one Wednesday night as well as the volunteers to serve it.<\/p>\n

The first groups to register to help were the Salvation Army, the Uniting Church, Woolworths, South Burnett Care and St John’s Lutheran School.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The project was just so well-received,” Marietta told southburnett.com.au<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It is very, very worthwhile.”<\/p>\n

Marietta said the meals did not have to be cooked in a commercial kitchen, although the Alliance was investigating if they could access such a facility in the future.<\/p>\n

“Cook it at home, bring a team together and serve it,” she said.<\/p>\n

Sample recipes for suggested meals were shared at the official launch.<\/p>\n

Marietta said it was not about dropping off the food for other people to distribute: “It’s about the community helping the community.”<\/p>\n

The first free meals will be available next Wednesday night (April 17) from 5:30pm to 7:00pm at the Salvation Army Hall in Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marietta said she expected most people would simply collect the food and go home but they were also invited to sit at tables in the hall to enjoy their meal.<\/p>\n

The South Burnett Support Alliance is keen to attract more groups to register, as well as more volunteers to help.<\/p>\n