Adelaide Convention Centre kitchens feeding Adelaide’s most vulnerable during coronavirus shutdown
The huge kitchens of some of Adelaide’s largest venues might be closed – but they’re still working, helping to feed some of our most vulnerable people instead.
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Football matches, concerts and conferences may be banned but the huge kitchens used to help feed the hordes at some of Adelaide’s largest venues are being repurposed to help the most vulnerable.
With a steep decline in tourism to the city – new analysis shows one in four hotel beds is closed – the idea could prove to be a win-win.
Adelaide Venue Management, which runs the Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Hindmarsh Stadium, has repurposed its kitchens to produce up to 10,000 meals a day.
The deal will also keep the kitchens up and running while key business has slumped.
Several of Adelaide’s major hotels have had to close their doors in the past week.
Human Services Minister Michelle Lensink said community catering organisations were experiencing a huge spike in demand for their food-delivery services as people, particularly the vulnerable and less fortunate, self-isolate to stay safe.
“Not only is Adelaide Venue Management contributing tens of thousands of meals to the community at this time, their innovation is enabling dozens of staff to remain in jobs,” she said.
Foodbank SA will use its refrigerated vehicles to collect meals from Adelaide Venue Management and transport them to Meals on Wheels SA’s main distribution points.
Surge in demand has also prompted the State Government to put a further $1.6 million into the sector.
The money will go to a raft of measures, including food-relief organisations, and pharmacy and supermarket vouchers for the vulnerable.
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Industry insiders have told the Sunday Mail as many as 1600 of Adelaide’s 6000 hotel rooms are unavailable.
“Unfortunately hotel accommodation is one of the early casualties of this coronavirus and it is unlikely to see that situation change for the next six months,” Premier Steven Marshall said.
Other rooms are being used to house 241 homeless people in emergency accommodation in motels across inner-metropolitan Adelaide.
Ms Lensink said maintaining good hygiene and social distancing was difficult for people experiencing homelessness, in particular rough sleepers.
“That’s why we’ve worked quickly to ensure some of our most vulnerable South Australians can have a roof over their heads so they can stay safe, maintain good hygiene practices and social distance that are vital to everyone’s health,” she said.