COST OF LIVING CRISIS: With Cath Daly - Food is the glue: Building community one meal at a time

Community Matters

“There’s got to be food and it’s got to be fun!” explains Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre Coordinator Cath Daly about her approach to supporting community health and wellbeing.

Nicky talks to Cath about supporting families and kids by providing nutritious breakfasts and packed lunches and a place to connect and share. After school programs, bingo and other community initiatives sees this little centre under Cath’s passionate leadership providing essential supports to the community.

Nicky and Cath explore the connections between food and social and mental health, exploring the impacts of poverty and trauma and how the Food Security Program run from the centre is directly supporting up to 70 families a week from a large, diverse but vulnerable client base from across the region which relies entirely on donations from the community, individuals and groups like Oz Harvest and Club Grants.

Nicky and Cath also explore issues around funding from the NSW Government which does not fund food and practical assistance. This seems strange given the clear connection between having enough to eat and outcomes such as school attendance.

Regardless Cath and the team make it work through sheer determination and embracing the support of the community. There is so much going on at the “Neighbo” and Cath and Nicky talk about how the community can get involved and contribute through donations or volunteering to join in the tremendous work that Cath and the team are doing to help build resilience and safety for all members of the community.