Two Ballarat Rotary groups chip in for free meal relief program

Volunteers from the Alfredton Rotary Club and Young Ambition will be giving away 100 free two-course meals from the Canberra Hotel to relieve the pressure on those out of work over the past week.

Young Ambition president Jane Jens said many people had been put in a difficult situation by the recent lockdown, including casual workers and international students.

"We thought how can we help and we just decided this might be the fastest way we can do it, just provide a meal and see what the uptake is," she said.

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To do so, Ms Jens recruited Alfredton Rotary Club members Jill Oliver and Malcolm Roberts for assistance.

Mr Roberts, who is also the owner of The Canberra Hotel and The Stables Tea Room, said it was a good opportunity to use the space while it was closed through the lockdown.

"The hotel itself is used for functions and events and then we've got our tea room next door but because of lockdown, we had the whole thing shut down. The tea room will reopen next week, given that restrictions have lifted," he said.

"Being part of Alfredton Rotary, Jill and I are the dynamic duo and quite often jump in the kitchen together and pull something together, it's good and it makes use of the space and we're lucky that we can use a commercial space for such things.

"We've got roast chicken with vegetables and a beautiful old-fashioned silverside with white sauce and vegetables, followed by an apple and sour cream pudding."

Staple pantry items such as milk, bread and protein bars will also be available for collection thanks to donations from PFD Foods and the BreezeWay food program.

Ms Jens said there was the potential for further food drives if the demand was there.

"If more come tomorrow, if we've run out, then we'll do it again on Tuesday and we'll have a better understanding of the numbers, hopefully by Tuesday, even if we're not shut down anymore in Ballarat, I think we might still, depending on numbers," she said.

"It's just going to be no questions asked, they just grab the meal and that's it. No registration or anything.

"If people want to donate, let us know and we can keep doing the meals if Malcolm will allow us."

Young Ambition is a Rotary group for people aged under 35 and is designed for those with busy careers and family lives to be able to still contribute to the community.

The free meals can be picked up from The Canberra Hotel between 4pm and 6pm on Friday night.

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