VOLUNTEERS at Mount Gambier’s Sunset Community Kitchen have generously served meals to the city’s most vulnerable for over seven years and last month that generosity was returned by a group of tradesmen.
Tradesmen from several local businesses donated their time and materials to upgrade the kitchen at the John Frew Centre, transforming the space where volunteers prepare meals for those struggling to put food on the table.
The makeover was made possible by the Federal Government’s Stronger Communities program.
“We received a federal grant through Tony Pasin for $11,000,” Sunset Community Kitchen board member Maree Thompson said.
“Greg Andrae was our major contractor and he quoted us for the work we needed to have done, but afterwards we found out there was a considerable amount of work needed on top of what we had envisioned.”
Knocking out a wall between a storage room and the original kitchen necessitated extra work so the area would meet safety standards.
“Once the wall came down and the whole area became a kitchen it was no longer hygienic enough because the walls were rough brick,” Ms Thompson said.
“We asked Greg to go ahead and organise the rest of the work and we didn’t know what it was going to cost us.
“When the invoice came in, so many of the tradies had done the work for free or for a heavily discounted amount or had donated the materials.
“It came in on budget and we felt so lucky and grateful.
“We just think the tradesmen in Mount Gambier are wonderful and we wanted to thank them.”
The tradesmen completed significant plumbing, building, electrical work and painting to transform the previously quaint kitchen into a more suitable space for the not-for-profit organisation.
That sense of community spirit will be paid forward at the John Frew Centre on Monday and Wednesday evenings when volunteers prepare and dish up meals for locals in need.
