Free lunch of goulash and polenta while learning about elder abuse

News of elder abuse involving meal sharing

On 27th June the Healesville Library hosted a free lunch for the community, following the return of the programme thanks to funding from the Healesville RSL and the Healesville Lions Club.

Healesville Library will begin serving hot soup community meals in 2022.

The programme has expanded with funding and now includes two-course meals as well as entertainment, information and socialising.

As this is not part of the standard service provided by the library, the library is grateful for the support of Healesville RSL and the Healesville Lions Club.

The topic of the information was elder abuse.

The presentation was led by Georgia Morrissey from Family Centred Law, who provided information on how to recognise cases of abuse and what options there are to take action.

Topics included recognizing elder abuse, identifying it in others, and recognizing self-abuse.

She included information about local services, including the Eastern Legal Center.

If anyone requires further information, there are fact sheets available in the library.

Previous community meal topics have included community safety hosted by Healesville CFA, food security hosted by Yarra Ranges Council and the Eastern Legal Centre.

“Thanks to generous funding from Healesville RSL and the Lions Club we can offer something very special to the Healesville community,” said Sabina Wills, Team Leader at the Healesville Library.

“We are very fortunate to have a commercial kitchen at the library and our staff are enthusiastic and able to see the benefits of sharing food.”

The main meal was goulash and polenta with meat and vegan options.

Cake, cream and berry sauce were served for dessert.

Qualified staff prepared the meal in the library’s commercial kitchen, and even students doing their work placements helped serve it.

While Community Meal Day is always a busy day at the library, all staff members end the day with a strong sense of having done something great for the Healesville community.

Meals for the entire community are free, some dietary requirements can be met, and another event for children will be the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – Stronger in Culture, Stronger Together, which will take place on Friday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m.

Attend an event at Healesville Library in partnership with Oonah Aboriginal Health and Community Services to host the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day Celebration. It will include stories, songs and rhymes, a special performance by First Nations artist Shauntai Sherree Abdul-Rahman, art activities and morning tea.

Free, no reservation required.

The next all-ages shared meal will be an India Immersion with Chulha N Chimney on Thursday, August 15 at 12.30pm at the Healesville Library.

Free of charge, registration required.