Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to recognise the amazing work of a number of charities in my electorate of Hindmarsh, in particular, Mary's Kitchen, an outreach program supervised by Uniting Care in Glenelg. My first contact with Mary's Kitchen came a couple of months ago during a cold plunge, which was volunteers who got together to dive in the icy waters of Glenelg during winter to raise money for a good cause. St Vincent de Paul and other local organisations were involved including the Rotary Club of Glenelg.

Operating from St. Andrew's Hall, Jetty Road, Mary's Kitchen does a wonderful job providing meals such as soup, bread, baked potatoes, cakes and fellowship for those in need. Many who use this service may not have eaten for days and welcome the food and understanding they receive. Mary's Kitchen is open on Tuesday nights and it was good to call by recently and to talk to those who utilise the services and offer to help out in the future.

I was happy to get my hands dirty recently for Fred's Van in Semaphore during anti-poverty week in early October. Like Mary's Kitchen, Fred's Van provides a food service supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community who experience a range of issues such as homelessness, social isolation and unemployment, providing approximately 500 meals a week across Adelaide. People are welcomed to access Fred's Van for a hot, fine meal and it was good to help out those volunteers on the night.

Congratulations to all those volunteers from Fred's Van around South Australia, particularly down at Semaphore, and congratulations also to Mary's Kitchen, and the wonderful work they do for people in the community.