A TOTAL of $50,000 in grant funding has been paid to local emergency relief service providers to help them cope with rising demand from the recent lockdowns.
Kingston Council has allocated the funding to numerous local groups. Pantry 5000, Bayside Community Care Emergency Food Relief, Matt’s Place, Kingston City Church Emergency Resources, Make a Difference Dingley Village, Mentone Community Assistance and Information Bureau, Chelsea Community Support Service, Churches of Christ Auspice Community Care, Bayside Community information and support services, and Chelsea Longbeach Anglican Church have been chosen to receive funding.
Each organisation will receive a one-off payment of $5000.
Kingston mayor Steve Staikos said “the snap lockdowns have created additional demand on local welfare agencies which provide food relief to community members experiencing disadvantage.
“We have provided an emergency relief payment of $5,000 each to ten local charities, which will enable them to do their important work providing critical food relief – utilities bills payments, and other emergency supplies – to vulnerable community members,” he said.
“Even when lockdowns are in place, we continue to provide a number of critical services to community members in need: from food deliveries through our Meals on Wheels program, to home care services for residents over 65 and those living with a disability. We also offer a number of opportunities to connect and engage, through online workshops run from AccessCare, Kingston Libraries and Youth Services. And for those who enjoy sending and receiving letters, we have a local letter writing project that aims to address loneliness and isolation in our community.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 23 June 2021