SAINTS “in shining armour” have made up a cash shortfall to buy a mobile kitchen trailer to help feed homeless and disadvantaged people in the Frankston area.
Karingal Hub shopping centre has donated $8000 to Life-Gate after Frankston Council last month failed to support a submission to council’s mid-year budget review (“Mobile kitchen help gets knocked back”, The Times 19/2/18).
Life-Gate co-founder, the Reverend Angel Roldan, told councillors at January’s public council meeting that $28,000 towards the $36,000 kitchen trailer had been raised from corporate and federal government donors.
St Kilda Football Club has also invited Life-Gate to be the AFL club’s charity partner at this year’s Saints Season Launch event.
Money raised at the 9 March season launch will be donated to Life Gate’s Meals For Change mobile kitchen to cover extra costs and buy food.
“We’re amazed at how the community has come together to cover this shortfall,” the Rev Roldan said, describing the donors as “knights in shining armour”.
“We would love to see the community come along to the Saints season launch to support this worthy cause.”
Cr Kris Bolam, a former board member of Life-Gate, hopes council processes can be improved so charities and community groups can be helped if they urgently need money outside of the usual budget process.
Councillors unanimously backed his notice of motion at the February public council meeting to have council officers prepare a report on establishing an “emergency grants” program.
The notice of motion stated: “In light of the recent out-of-budget funding request from Life-Gate, regarding a process for community groups and sporting clubs to make (where there is a necessitated need) ‘emergency’ or ‘urgent’ funding requests to council outside of the budget process via a defined funding pool.”
Neighbouring Kingston Council introduced a Quick Response Grants program after the Labor state government axed councillors’ discretionary ward grants in 2015 following controversy over grants being given to groups with political affiliations.
A Local Government Inspectorate investigation in 2013 found four councils out of 32 across the state who allowed councillors to dish out discretionary ward funds had appropriate measures in place to stop potential misuse of ward grants.
Kingston caps quick response grants at $2000 a year for an individual, charity or community group.
- St Kilda Football Club’s Season Launch is at Frankston Park Oval on Friday 9 March, 6-8.30pm. See saints.com.au or call 1300 467 246 for more details.
