Macedon Ranges Veg Action group is helping to keep residents warm and full this winter with the launch of its soup kitchen.
The newly launched initiative is held in the undercroft at the back of the Woodend Neighbourhood House every Thursday lunchtime and is made possible with food from the neighbourhood house.
Veg Action volunteer Claire Rowland said Soulful Suppers is an opportunity for all residents to have a healthy meal packed with veggies.
“We recently changed the time to 12.30pm to 2.30pm… [as] there’s a greater number of people available [which] makes it more accessible,” Ms Rowland said.
“We provide two different dishes a week at the moment, we’re making really warming, hearty soups… It’s a feel good food.”
Ms Rowland said with the current cost of living increases the group wanted to create a friendly space for residents to grab a meal to take away, or eat-in and socialise.
“We have a range of people who are doing it tough at the moment,” she said.
“We’re not necessarily talking about homeless people, we’re talking about people who have had an increase in expenses, especially on home loan repayments.”
Ms Rowland said ensuring the dishes are packed with veggies is a big focus, with a 2020 Healthy Heart Victoria study revealing just 13.9 per cent of Macedon Ranges residents met the guidelines of vegetable consumption.
“As the cost of living rises, access to fresh, nutritious food becomes more difficult… grabbing a veggie packed dish from our kitchen is one way to eat better over winter.”
Details: veg@mrsg.org.au
Zoe Moffatt
