From The Point: Unions in the community: The People’s Kitchen

Solidarity and community are not just high ideals for unionists, they are practical strategies to help those in need.

In the Latrobe Valley, where the community has been hard hit by a changing industrial landscape, unionists are making a difference with hands-on action.

People’s kitchen volunteers get to work.

On Friday 9 February a group of unionists from the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council joined together in Morwell to prepare and cook meals that were distributed to community members in need.

The Morwell Neighbourhood House, led by Latrobe City Council Deputy Mayor and proud ASU member Tracie Lund, hosted IEU Gippsland Organiser Rupert Stephenson; Janine Duncan, Tammy Borg and Chelsea Lee from the ASU (private sector); Darryn Snell from the NTEU, and Simon Lund from the ASU (Victoria Tasmania), in a day of cooking and goodwill.

Getting hungry?

They were working in the kitchen of A Kinder Cup café, a business venture of the Neighbourhood House that makes a great cup of coffee but also provides training opportunities for locals interested in entering the hospitality industry.

The day began with activities, mostly (according to Rupert) “embarrassing physical challenges”, that fostered team spirit and left the team all smiles and “ready to smash food insecurity”.

The unionists went on to prepare, cook and pack 110 meals of sweet and sour sausage casserole with baked potatoes and steamed vegies that filled the Neighbourhood House’s foodbank freezer.

The successful haul was a credit to Morwell Neighbourhood House and the unionists who volunteered their time.

Rupert says food insecurity is a global issue, but it needs to be confronted with grassroots actions.

“Small local projects can tackle this very serious issue for many people in the community. It also shows how a group of unionists with passion and a sense of community spirit can make a difference.”

Hearty meals from the heart.