Volunteers plan to take Tony’s Community Kitchen on the road

What started as a one-off lunch has turned into a vibrant community network that supports vulnerable Toowoomba residents. One year on and the Tony’s Community Kitchen volunteers show now signs of stopping.

On any given night a small but dedicated group of volunteers stake out their spot behind the old Settlers Inn and serve hot meals to the city’s homeless residents.

Easter Sunday marked a full year since Tony’s Community Kitchen opened and while the anniversary was marked with a celebration, the volunteers were busy planning for the next year.

Their top priority is to buy a food van to take the service on the road.

“There are people living in the parks who don’t want to leave their belongings,” director Jo Noonan said.

“If we had a van we could look after a lot more people.”

Second on the wish list is to move into a fit-for-purpose kitchen that includes a covered dining area.

“We don’t even have running water at our current building,” Ms Noonan said.

“We love it where we are but it would be nice to have somewhere for people to sit during the wet weather.

“People still come to us in the rain if they are hungry.”

Celebrating a year of service at Tony's Community Kitchen are (from left) directors Peter Rubie and Jo Noonan, volunteers Rachel Bridges, treasurer Greg Kowald, founder Tony Hurle Founder, director Alison Hunter and Justin, one of the friends who has been coming to the kitchen since the beginning.

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In the weeks leading up to Easter 2020 a group of volunteers approached Tony Hurle – who had been serving free barbecues at the rooms behind the Settlers Inn – seeking his help in hosting an Easter Sunday lunch for homeless residents.

The community kitchen grew from that first lunch.

“At the start we were only looking after 25 people each night, but with the COVID pandemic and big increases in rental prices we now serve about 65 people,” she said.

Meals are prepared in homes across the city and brought to the ad hoc kitchen each night.

Ms Noonan said they relied on students at Harristown State High School, St Ursula’s College, St Saviour’s College, The Glennie School, Fairholme College and Mary MacKillop Catholic College to meet that growing demand.

During this past weekend the kitchen served about 70 meals each night, with 120 meals served Saturday night.

“It is a family activity,” Ms Noonan said.

“You really get to know everyone involved and we like to sit and have a chat with everyone wanting a meal.

“We make sure they are okay, because Easter is a tough time if you don’t have family around.”