Casualisation of labour means homelessness can be “only three pays away” for many people.
So says Rosa del Ponte from Soul Kitchen at Junction 142 in Katoomba.
“You get sick … behind on the rent … it’s such an easy stumble,” Ms del Ponte added.
Junction 142 is a joint project between Earth Recovery Australia, which runs Soul Kitchen, and the Uniting Church. It is on 142 Katoomba Street in the Uniting Church hall premises and offers food and laundry services for the homeless, those on the verge of homelessness and those without proper cooking facilities in their homes.
Soul Kitchen will be the beneficiary from the Upper Blue Mountains Sunrise Rotary masked ball proceeds this year. Organisers hope the event will raise about $10,000. It’s money that will go a long way to fixing problems in the Uniting Church’s kitchen, where they feed more than 200 people on the verge of homelessness every week, using 3,000 kilograms of donated food which would otherwise end up in landfill.
“We need reverse cycle air-conditioning, an extractor fan and cupboardage,” Ms del Ponte said. “If we got the money to do that it would be brilliant.”
Uniting Church treasurer Kerry Jordan said the fan and air-conditioning would not only make life more pleasant for the volunteers working in the kitchen, but also reduce power bills.
Margie Gargan from Sunrise Rotary, who is co-ordinating the ball for the second time in two years, has had her own personal experience of homelessness. She was forced to live in a women’s refuge for a month.
“I was homeless, that’s why I am passionate about it.”
She said the Rotary ball was “something different” and this year’s beneficiary was particularly worthy.
“I’ve known Rosa and admired the work she did for so long. We want to support the Katoomba community and this also spreads to the whole of the Blue Mountains,” Ms Gargan said. “We can see here what difference we can make,” she said looking around the kitchen.
Last year’s event raised $11,000 for Wentworth Community Housing. Rotary Blackheath and Katoomba Rotary are also working on putting in a deck and solar panels at the hall.
Tickets to the masked ball on Friday October 12 are $130 per person. The event will be held at the ballroom of Mountains Heritage Resort and include raffles, silent auctions, lucky door prizes and music by the Terry Rae Swing Band. Thirty per cent of the proceeds from an art auction from Tanya Loviz will go to Rotary.
To buy tickets call Margie Gargan 0431 408814. Masks are available from Bygone Beauties in Leura.