Doing part to stop virus
DOING its part to curb the effects of coronavirus, the Basement Soup Kitchen has made the move to takeaway.
After the announcement that all cafes and restaurants must close, co-ordinator of the Basement Nat Spary made the decision to close the seated area of the soup kitchen and operate strictly through takeaway.
“Because of the new regulations, we can’t serve people inside our soup kitchen, so we’re going to serve outside,” Mr Spary said.
“We’re doing takeaways, and people are lining up out the front.
“We actually chalked some spots so people know the distance to stand apart.
“We serve them their meals, and they will take it away and probably eat them in the park.”
Operating since 1993, the Basement serves 80-100 people per day, and Mr Spary said he wanted to make sure he could keep the vital service running.
“They get a takeaway container with a knife, fork, and spoon, because we also serve sweets. They get a nutritious meal with veggies as well as tea and coffee,” he said.
“The last two weeks we’ve had an increase of people coming down and asking for support.
“We’re doing everything we can to help people. The people who are lining up for food, a lot of them are older people who already have a lot of health issues.
“It’s very challenging because you hope these people will be all right through this.”
Mr Spary said everyone needed to play their part beating the pandemic.
“It’s a stressful time for people, but I just know through this hardship people are entering, as Australians it will bring out our best.” in cassandra.glover@thechronicle.com.au