Careworks charity to close unless they raise $70,000 in a month

A popular Preston charity known for helping people back into the workforce and serving hot lunches to those in need will be forced to close its doors, unless they can scrape together $70,000 in the next month.

Careworks provides a number of charitable services including a pay as you feel community lunch multiple times a week. Picture: George Salpigtidis

A charity serving 16,000 two course meals a year to disadvantaged and diverse community members will close its doors next month unless it receives a funding miracle.

Careworks helps the unemployed through the Work for the Dole program, runs an op shop and hosts a number of community activities.

But workers say it’s their community lunches, running since 2003, which will leave the biggest hole for their customers.

Changes to the Work for the Dole funding model now means the charity receives just $1.38 per hour per trainee from the federal government to supervise, train, manage and insure their staff.

Careworks team leader David Toscano said the charity had been running at a loss for three years and needed to raise $70,000 by July 5 to keep their programs alive.

“Northern Community Church of Christ has been picking up the tab for the last three years to keep this afloat and unfortunately they don’t have endless funds available,” Mr Toscano said.

The church, which runs the charity, spent $250,000 in the 2017/18 financial year to fund their extensive programs and services.

They then slashed their programs, losing courses in computers, woodworking, gardening and bicycle repair.

MORE: URGENT WORKS NEEDED TO REPAIR KENSINGTON SCHOOL

POLICY CRACKS DOWN ON PARENTS SCREAMING FROM SIDELINES

WORK STARTS ON KINLEY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN LILYDALE

But with a funding gap still too large to bridge, the next program on the chopping block is their popular community lunch.

Careworks manager Tamsin Magnay said they served about 80 people a day four days a week for just $4 a meal.

“Some people would be here four days a week. In the winter they come here just to get out of the cold,” she said.

Ms Magnay said some visitors would be at the community centre from 10am to 3pm, drinking tea, eating lunch, and dancing to the community band.

Careworks Team Leader David Toscano, manager Tamsin Magnay and 85-year-old Pina, who travels an hour every day to get to there. Picture: George Salpigtidis

The lunches have attracted supporters from across the northern suburbs, including the socially isolated and others with disabilities or mental health issues.

“There’s a welcoming community spirit where people can see the space as a second home,” she said.

For 85-year-old Pina Giuseppina, who has gone to the lunches almost every day for two-and-a-half years, she catches three buses from Lalor just to get there.

The motivation behind her dedication is simple.

“I like the people,” she said.

Mr Toscano said the charity needed to find another way to fund their services, but it needed to be ongoing.

“We don’t want a quick bailout and find ourselves in the same situation next year,” he said.

Ms Magnay said their goal was to continue running the programs as they were but unless something changed the shutdown was “inevitable”.

“We’re really hopeful, but something has to happen,” she said.