The Cup of Kindness Community Food Van is a new initiative designed to offer a little help to local people who are doing it tough.
The little green and purple van will be parked in Mechanics Lane Castlemaine (just down from the library entrance) every Thursday from 10am to 2pm serving free hot soup and sandwiches, alongside tea and coffee.
The Cup of Kindness is the brainchild of Di Thorpe who originally purchased and ran the community food van in Ulverstone in Tasmania.
“I tried running the Cup of Kindness in Ulverstone but as a small community, the concept didn’t take. We moved the meals to the church hall and on the first night there was only one person but now, three years on, they have 70 people attending,” Di told the Express.
“I moved here last year and the van was full of stuff and gathering dust while I built a tiny home. So once the house was finished, I noticed there was a real need here and I thought the van would be perfect for this community.”
Di enlisted help from members of the Maldon Baptist Church and the Castlemaine Church of Christ and before long volunteers were chopping vegetables, stirring pots and making sandwiches.
“I’m in the process of getting part of the sign changed to say ‘food for the tummy and soul’. And in summer we’re going to start serving ice creams,” Di said.
“I love it. But the funny thing is, I don’t like cooking and I’m not very good at it!”
Last Thursday was the little van’s debut appearance and Di and fellow volunteers Karen and Denise went above and beyond to make sure everyone felt welcome, including supplying warm coats and scarves to those in need.
The Cup of Kindness team is looking at applying for the next round of council grants next month but in the meantime is reliant solely on donations.
Anyone interested in donating food, clothing or their time cooking or serving can email Di at [email protected]