General News
1 June, 2026
Breaking bread, Ararat Emergency Relief receives funding to help feed the community
ARARAT Emergency Relief Committee has received a boost to its community efforts to help underprivileged people thanks to support from Squadron Energy. Squadron has provided funds to the group to install a new rangehood at the Life Links Church kitchen.
The Emergency Relief Committee runs a program, coordinated by Noelle Forth, which rotates through local church groups to support people in need across the region.
Ms Forth said the upgraded kitchen facilities would allow volunteers to expand the service they provide to the community.
“It means we can cook a lot more food because it gets a bit hot in there,” she said.
“The kitchen was good before, but it’s better now with the rangehood because it means we can do a lot more cooking.”
Thanks to the grant the committee have decided to celebrate with the community.
“To celebrate putting it in, we’ve decided to do a community meal,” she said.
Ms Forth said the group hoped the upgrade to the kitchen would allow them to expand beyond the existing café and food support programs.
“It looks like we may do a meal when Life Links are rostered on, instead of just doing the café on Monday and Friday,” she said.
“We will probably do a meal midweek, and people can come and have a look and learn how to cook, and then we all share it.”
The initiative is also aimed at helping community members develop confidence and skills in preparing healthy meals.
“We are looking at doing some lessons and helping people make better choices in what they eat,” Ms Forth said.
With fresh food supplied through Foodbank, she hopes visitors will not only enjoy a meal but also learn practical recipes they can use at home.
“We’ve got a lot of people living on their own,” she said.
“We are hoping they can enjoy a meal but pick up some cooking tips along the way.”
The kitchen is already being used to prepare meals for the church’s Friday night youth group, which Ms Forth said now attracts 26 young people each week as well as providing lunches on Mondays and Fridays during its rostered emergency relief weeks. “We are already doing things in a small way, but the range enables us to cook bigger meals,” Ms Forth said.
Tom Beischer from Squadron Energy said the company was proud to support the initiative.
“We’re proud to support the Ararat Emergency Relief Committee and the volunteers who provide community-focused charitable efforts that help those in need,” he said.
“This sponsorship is not just supporting the purchase of new kitchen equipment but helping the AERC continue providing food to those in need in a practical way. It’s a strong example of the kind of locally driven initiative we aim to back through our community sponsorships.”
The community meal will be held at Life Links Church in High Street on Tuesday, June 9 from 6pm.
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