VOLUNTEERS at the City Life cafe give a helping hand to Frankston’s homeless and the needy but the church welfare organisation also needs a helping hand itself this year.
Food is dished up to the hungry each day at the Clyde St Mall and an outreach van, dubbed The Cornershop Kitchen, visits communities to distribute much-needed meals.
Finances at the charity are tight and an impending move from its existing premises to make way for an apartment complex development means City Life faces struggles of its own.
Pastor Mark Whitby, who manages City Life’s resources, said “it’s been a pretty tough period”.
“We are having to move and we literally give away thousands of dollars’ worth of food each week,” he said.
The church group hands out more than 16,000 nutritious breakfast, lunches and dinners annually and about 4000 food parcels.
The breakfast program is supplied by the Frankston Breakfast Club.
City Life receives no government funding and relies on donations and sales at its Clyde St op shop to survive.
Mr Whitby said about 100 volunteers selflessly give more than 30,000 hours of community service each year to keep City Life afloat.
“If anyone knows of a site we can move to please let us know,” he said.
The charity’s existing premises are 2300 square metres but Mr Whitby said “we may not need it that big”.
Donations to City Life can be made at givenow.com.au/citylife or by bank deposits to Westpac BSB: 033 272, account: 272959.
See citylife.net.au for further information about the charity.
