Leongatha Church offers free weekly meals to all

ST PETER’S Anglican Church in Leongatha is celebrating seven years of providing free, home-cooked meals to anyone in the community.

The initiative was first started by Reverend Belinda Seabrook and a small group of volunteers who wished to create a space where anyone in the community could come together over a hot meal.

Current Wednesday lunch Coordinator, Helen Booth, says the aim of the initiative is simple.

“Nourishment through home cooking and community connection.

All are welcome at the table,” she said.

“Everything is home-cooked.

Unless there’s some emergency, it’s all hand done.”

Each Wednesday at lunchtime, volunteers prepare three main meals and two desserts for absolutely anyone in the community to enjoy.

Meals are served from 11.45am and guests are welcome to stay as long as they need.

“There’s no end time, there’s no rush there,” said Ms Booth.

“The consensus is we want connection with the community.”

Guests can sit at tables set up in the church hall, with checkered tablecloths and polished cutlery creating what Ms Booth describes as a relaxed and cosy country-style atmosphere.

“It’s a homely environment, a gentle, caring environment,” she said.

“It’s a place where you can forget, offload or share life’s highs and lows.”

The weekly lunch was originally created as a way to address the growing sense of social disconnection that often plagues so many communities, particularly as people are choosing to spend more time online rather than interact with others face-to-face.

“There’s too much disconnection,” said Ms Booth.

“We’re working on face-to-face connection and filling in spaces where people are lonely or they haven’t got family to go to.”

While hosted by the church, Ms Booth strongly emphasised that they are open to everyone in the community, not solely churchgoers.

“The thing is that they are for everybody,” she said.

“It’s connection not through religion, but through food.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a multi-millionaire, if you’re struggling to make ends meet, or if you’re on the street.

Everybody meshes in the space.”

The program also has a strong network of community support, including generous donations and contributions from local groups such as the Rotary Club, Bakers Delight, Leongatha Community Gardens, Gatha Rock and the Leongatha Men’s Shed.

“We want the connection to be through food, friendship, love and laughter,” said Ms Booth.