Through a fundraiser and raffle at the Dean and District Sheep Dog Trials, the event managed to raise $1330 for the Soup Bus. 

Dean Recreation Reserve president Brian Maher said while the event supports a different charity each year, the organisers jumped on board the Soup Bus largely thanks to Elders Insurance and its history with the bus.

“The Dean Recreation Reserve and the Dean and district community are more than happy to help out the Soup Bus because it is a tireless organisation that helps feed the homeless,” Mr Maher said.

OnTrack Foundation board secretary Trish Livingston said November was a huge fundraising month for the Soup Bus.  

“This money is going towards making sure we have enough food, being able to make up some packs with long life milk and food items so our people can get through the Christmas period, which is going to be the hardest period for them,” she said.

“We’ve just gutted our second bus and will be starting to refurbish her and get her out again as well.”

At the moment the Soup Bus is working out of the Ballarat Senior Citizens Centre on Bridge Street five nights a week, while a bus goes to Ballarat Community Health on Victors Street in Sebastopol two nights a week.

In the future the OnTrack Foundation is looking to extend the bus at Ballarat Community Health to five nights a week and have the refurbished bus at a third location by mid 2019.

At the moment the Soup Bus is in need of items such as long life milk and custard, coffee, Milo, sweets and tinned food.