FOOD FOR THE SOUL

With the inexorable rise of the cost of living Toowoomba’s charitable organisations have never been busier, and never in greater need of support.

While many of our region’s residents are fortunate enough to live in an area known for its ability to thrive even in the toughest of economic conditions, there will always be those facing some of their toughest times through illness, job loss or simply finding that the weekly pay packet no longer stretches far enough.

Our city is home to incredible organisations that deal daily with some of our most vulnerable – no matter how large the personal toll to those who run them, and no matter how much effort must go into keeping the doors open.

Style Magazine took a peek into three of our amazing local charities to see how they were going and give readers the opportunity to show their support through donations, appreciation or volunteering.

Toowoomba Hospice

Caring for people through the last weeks of their lives is a heart-wrenching prospect, but every day the incredible staff at the Toowoomba Hospice turn up with smiles on their faces and plenty of love and care to give to terminal patients and their families.

Toowoomba Hospice administration and events assistant Amy Goldsmid said the sixbed facility was often at capacity and had annual running costs of $2.2m, 40 per cent of which came directly from the community.

This year the organisation is set to celebrate 20 years of service to the community with a mid-year gala dinner aimed at celebrating the important donors and staff who keep the wheels turning every day of the year.

Amy said the hospice had a huge focus on supporting the community that supported them, so the reciprocal relationship meant that most of the procurement that could be done locally, was.

“We really think Toowoomba is a special place and even though we are a small facility, we keep our heart in it,” she said.

“It works well for us to be a small facility because it means we can make things very personal.

“We really make everything about the person and their family and offer support with things like providing pastoral care for the family for up to 12 months after their loved one has passed.”

To find out more about Toowoomba Hospice, buy tickets to the 20th Anniversary Gala or donate to this heartfelt service, visit toowoombahospice.org.au.

Tony’sCommunity Kitchen

Tony Hurle has long been a fixture on the local volunteering scene, but he has never been busier than he is right now.

For years he has run the Wilsonton Community Carols and selflessly given his time and resources to provide food to people living rough in the city, but at the beginning of the pandemic he bit the bullet and started up Tony’s Community Kitchen.

In that short time since, the organisation has grown to more than 150 volunteers who provide food to those in need rain, hail or shine, 365 days of the year.

Every day they turn up, organise donations, pick up and deliver food, and cook nutritious meals and serve them.

Since its inception, Tony’s Community Kitchen has already provided more than 62,000 nutritious, cooked meals, 478 showers and 490 loads of laundry, providing a lifeline and dignity to those doing it the toughest.

The charity even recently added a monthly GP visit for those struggling to access this care.

The organisation now has its own op-shop to help fund the service, while also providing quality second-hand goods to people and is in the process of moving to 232 North St, the former Searcher’s End shed.

The move has Tony and his team of volunteers working overtime, but will be worth all the hard work.

The site has plenty of parking, a fully wheelchair-accessible lower level, and provides goods at the lowest possible prices to help those struggling.

The service is always in need of financial assistance, volunteers and donations of goods.

To find out more about Tony’s Community Kitchen or donate to this important cause, visit tonyscommunity.com.au.

ToowoombaFood Assist

Holly Allsop knows exactly what it is like to be in the depths of depression, out of a job and struggling to make ends meet.

To help pull herself out of despair she started volunteering for Toowoomba Food Assist, which provides grocery hampers at below-cost prices to those doing it tough as well as providing assistance to those struggling the worst.

Since then, she turned her life around and now works as warehouse manager for the organisation, which is run under the auspices of ActsCare Group.

“I have a great passion for this place,” Holly said.

“I used the service for 10 years because my family and I have struggled, so I can relate to my customers and that’s why I’m so passionate.

“We put our hearts in and base ourselves on the idea that everybody deserves to eat and nothing goes to waste.”

Holly said the charity had struggled since the onset of Covid in 2020 to keep the wheels turning. A combination of transport cost increases, shortages of fresh produce, price increases and the growth in demand for the service meant it was more difficult than ever to service the outlying towns across the service’s footprint.

She said support for Food Assist could be made in a range of ways, including volunteering, donations, and pre-purchasing hampers for customers who couldn’t afford them.

The organisation is a fully self-funded not-for-profit and among the entries on the Food Assist wishlist is a small delivery truck to enable team members to travel to places like Warwick, Pittsworth and Clifton to provide the same service that Toowoomba customers receive.

In 2021 the service moved from Vanity St into its new premises in Campbell St, which allowed it to open a small shopfront so those wanting individual items rather than hampers could access the service.

The best thing about supporting this charity is that even the simple act of buying yourself a hamper filled with below-cost basics for $25 helps the Toowoomba Food Assist to provide help to others through greater buying power and its razor-thin margins.

Additionally, you can donate money, volunteer your time or donate goods, though generally because of the style of service provided, much of what they require has to be in bulk.

To help out or find out more, you can visit foodassist.com.au and click the donate tab or call Toowoomba Food Assist on 4634 1157.