Eastland offers free meals from Glen Park Community House from its Ringwood valet carpark
One of Melbourne’s biggest shopping centres is turning its valet carpark into a distribution point to offer free meals to those struggling to access relief under stage 4 coronavirus restrictions.
Outer East
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Struggling community members can now access free meals at a major Melbourne shopping centre’s repurposed valet carpark.
Ringwood’s Eastland has teamed up with Bayswater North’s Glen Park Community Centre to be a collection point for its food relief frozen meal distribution service.
The shopping centre claims the partnership is an Australian first during the outbreak and is being made possible through its Order and Collect service launched earlier this year.
Staff will use the service internally to order meals from Glen Park based on demand, which will then deliver the meals to the centre’s valet carpark.
The meals will then be available to anyone who turns up to the carpark and is experiencing hardship.
Glen Park Community Centre chief executive Heidi Butler-Moore said it had made and distributed thousands of meals since the outbreak began in March in lieu of its annual weekly community dinner.
But she said the stage 4 coronavirus restrictions had made it difficult for its clients to access the meals.
“The travel restrictions imposed under stage 4 do limit our ability to move around freely, and those needing to access emergency food relief are feeling these restrictions in a way many may not understand or appreciate,” she said.
Eastland general manager Greg Balmforth said the meals were designed for people who had lost their jobs and were struggling to make ends meet.
He said they could be collected in person at the valet carpark by those using public transport or by car in the Order and Collect pick-up zone.
“We’re passionate about helping people and organisations in the community and we’re thrilled to extend our partnership with Glen Park,” he said.
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