IN BRIEF: Snapshots from around the territory - 22 July
IN BRIEF: Snapshots from around the territory - 22 July
22 July 2022
Aux-Lieutenant Anthony Barford (second from right) enjoys partnering with the wider Christian community in Jindabyne for the Soul Food Kitchen. (From left) Llew Moore, Kerry Beer, Peter Beer, Anthony, and Ian Mckinlay. Photo published with permission from the Monaro Post.
Soup partnership a lifeline for snow workers
A bowl of soup is more than a warm meal for the itinerant workers and non-residents in Jindabyne during the snow season. Last week, the Soul Food Kitchen reached a milestone of 50 litres of soups served to their community – and for the past few years, The Salvation Army has partnered with them to make it possible.
Cooma Corps Officer Aux-Lieutenant Anthony Barford’s hospitality experience made him a prime volunteer candidate. Every Monday, he makes delicious soup for between 75 and 100 people, including garnish and crusty bread. The Uniting Church runs the project, and Anthony says collaborating with them is a no-brainer.
“Some years ago [The Salvation Army] ran a winter Snow Mission in the township of Jindabyne, but that ceased operation. So, when we [were appointed] here, the Uniting Church had the Soul Food Kitchen established for some years, and they asked us to come down and join them. It makes more sense for us to partner with the rest of the Christian community [rather] than working in competition,” he said.
The Soul Food Kitchen is open to anyone for a gold coin donation – a lifeline for many who work for little pay during the ski season and live in shared accommodation. Jindabyne is 78km up the road from Cooma, and since volunteering with the Soul Food Kitchen, the Salvos have been able to create a known presence in the region.
“We saw the [nearby] Thredbo community put together flood-relief funding [for the Salvos], and our presence in the town contributed to that happening. People have said to me that the fact we are around, visible and working is encouraging and well-regarded,” said Anthony.
Cleaning kits for Sydney flood victims
Major Bill Geracia (on the left) delivering a home-cleaning kit to an Ebenezer resident and her son, who was there to help with the clean-up.
“You just run on adrenalin every day to help who you can, in any way you can,” said Major Bill Geracia, Norwest Region team leader. “You take a break when you can and go out again.”
Townships on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in Sydney’s north-west have experienced three floods this year, so the Salvos team now know what the residents need. While they appreciated the food parcels, they really needed home-cleaning kits and drinking water while their water tanks were decontaminated. An army of volunteers put together about 900 home-cleaning kits for the outreach team.
“Basically, every day, we would turn up to Woolworths or Bunnings at 7am and grab whatever we could, such as gloves, buckets and brushes for the kits,” Bill said. The volunteers would then drive to affected communities and doorknock homes, offering help.
A particular focus was the small town of Ebenezer on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. Bill went there almost every day for two weeks handing out kits and talking to the residents. He said the residents had felt a bit isolated, so they were glad the Salvos turned up and were even more surprised when they kept returning.
“You can’t just have something prepacked ready to go. You have to listen to people and what they need,” Bill said. “That comes down to building a relationship and listening.”
Once flood recovery centres opened, the Salvos continued to support affected residents by delivering the home-cleaning kits, food and water there. However, the plan is to go back out to affected communities in a few weeks to check on how they are going.
Port Stephens Family Store transitions to Salvos Stores
The Family Store in Port Stephens, NSW, opened its doors as a Salvos Store for the first time on 11 April. The store is the third NSW Family Store to have successfully transitioned to Salvos Stores as part of the pilot program launched in August 2021. Stores at Dural and Cessnock are now also Salvos Stores.
Staff and volunteers were among those attending the opening of the new Salvos Store in Port Stephens, NSW.
Port Stephens Corps Leaders, Territorial Envoys Howard and Sandra Koutnik, are looking forward to having more time to focus on supporting their local community and providing pastoral care to the store’s staff and volunteers.
“This is a great option for us as we can focus on our relationship with volunteers and the community,” said Sandra. “It’s a blessing to be resourced without having responsibility for daily operations of the store [and] the fresh look of the store is fantastic.”
Major Mark Everitt, Area Officer – Hunter Central Coast, attended the store opening, as well as Salvos Stores representatives Major Craig Spooner (chaplain), Anne McGlinchey (Implementation Manager for the transition project) and many dedicated volunteers.
The opening also marked the 23rd anniversary of the Port Stephens Family Store opening in the same location.
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