By Holly McGuinness
The Paradise 4 Kids food van has celebrated its first birthday on Tuesday, June 26.
Director Jane Pallot and the team have been busy preparing the extra special birthday feast for those in attendance with a Greek spin on the day’s meal, serving gyro, baklava with pita bread and lolly bags for each person to celebrate.
The volunteers and Jane have built a strong relationship with people who come along to the evening, with volunteer Asamina saying “ I think that (attendants) give us as much joy as they say we give them so it’s not us giving back at this kitchen, we get as much as we give and that’s why we keep coming back week after week, rain, hail or shine”
“Food is part of it, that’s where we started as there was a need in the area for hot food but its food you would serve to your family, just today I marinated 25kg of chicken last night,” Ms Pallot said.
The kitchen is a project of love and compassion with a lot of behind the scenes work behind it but still the team still continues to show up week after week, “we really care about these people, they can be doing it hard and it’s given me personally, total insight of how complicated homelessness is,” Ms Pallot said
The group aims to support financially disadvantaged people, migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers, people at risk of homelessness or who are experiencing homelessness, people from a culturally and linguistically diverse background or anyone in need of a nutritious warm meal served with a smile to go with it.
The community kitchen runs every Tuesday night from 6:30pm at the St Albans Market car park.
