Tony’s Community Kitchen cooks up a massive milestone with its first anniversary

The volunteer-run community kitchen is about to celebrate a very special milestone.

An Easter Sunday lunch for those doing it tough as the country grappled with COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 has grown into a volunteer-run service that provides meals 365 days a year to anyone in need.

And come Easter Sunday, Tony’s Community Kitchen will mark one year since the meal that started it all.

In April 2020, Jo-Anne Noonan contacted Tony Hurle who had been providing pies and sausage rolls and barbecues at the rooms behind the Settlers Inn.

She asked if she could organise a meal to celebrate Easter Sunday.

The initial response to a call-out on Facebook was overwhelming and the community wanted to continue helping, so Tony’s Community Kitchen was formed.

Now, on a regular basis, families, schools and clubs from the Toowoomba community cook nutritious meals which volunteers provide free to those who need them, every evening of the year from 5-7pm.

The mammoth task would not be possible without the support of our kind-hearted community.

One meal recipient, who wished to remain anonymous, said knowing Tony’s Kitchen was there “makes me feel good”.

“I know that I can point anyone who needs help somewhere to have help. It certainly helped me when I needed it.”

Kitchen founder Tony Hurle said it was fantastic to be able to keep the doors open for a year, and keep food flowing for people who need it most.

To celebrate the kitchen’s first anniversary, the service will be dishing up fish and chips from one of its biggest supporters, Captain’s Seafood.

On Saturday night the kitchen will serve lasagne and salad, which was also the first meal cooked.

On Easter Sunday, there will be a traditional Sunday barbecue, with Easter eggs on offer for friends of the kitchen.