By Mikayla van Loon
Supporting survivors of family and domestic violence has become a key role of Foothills Community Care in Upwey and a recently announced grant will help volunteers feed more women escaping violence.
Having been delivering meals to people in need for over five years, the not-for-profit will now be able to expand the program for more women who have fled a violent situation.
The power of a meal is much more than just nutritious substance, it’s about connection and that’s what Foothills founder and CEO Stephen Barrington’s philosophy is when it comes to food.
“So for people to receive a meal that has been cooked by the local community, for a start, it’s that nutritious value but more than that, it’s that sense that you’re not being forgotten,” he said.
Women who escape domestic violence often struggle financially, particularly when going through court but there is also a whole myriad of affects and trauma
“To be able to have meals and to know that the food side of things is taken care of or largely taken care of actually releases the pressure to be able to do other stuff,” Mr Barrington said.
“I think, for a lot of people, when there’s a whole lot of stuff we need to work out, it gets really overwhelming. So we can kind of ease that pressure in one area easily with food.”
Prior to Covid-19 Foothills’ community casseroles programs was making 250 meals a week, that number has grown to 1000 meals a week, although not all are family violence sufferers.
A $10,000 grant from Yarra Ranges Council as part of the 2022 Grants for Community program will allow Foothills to continue feeding as many people as they need to each week, for as long as needed.
Meals outreach coordinator Shannon Kay said the grant will ensure women who have experienced violence can be supported without hesitation and can be provided with weekly meals for as long as needed.
“When there’s so much else going on, it’s just something that we can show up for and provide very quickly, indefinitely, and it’s both physically nourishing, but also gives that sense of being supported and cared about and nurtured,” she said.
“For women in that kind of very hectic, very overwhelming and horrible circumstances, having other women show up with food is quite profound. So being able to do that without limits, and to just reach out very quickly and know that we can offer it for as long as necessary.”
By starting to deliver meals to women and their children, a peer support group began to develop for survivors of family violence.
For one member of the peer support group, who Star Mail is calling Jane to keep her anonymous, she first started cooking the meals for other women before joining the group herself.
“I just felt more comfortable talking to other people about it who had been through it rather than seeing a psychologist or counselor,” Jane said.
“I think having that actual understanding of people that have been through it is really different to someone that’s learnt about it in a textbook or studied it for many years.”
Having been on both the cooking end and the receiving end, Jane said she knows how much a meal can mean to someone in her situation.
“I know that the people there are not just cooking because it’s something to do, it’s a place that is filled with love,” she said.
“They’re having a lovely time. They’re spending time with other women, even throughout the pandemic, they’ve been able to connect every week. They share their time, talk about stuff, do their own peer support I guess with whatever’s going on with them.
“It’s not just a meal. It’s a little part of the community in your home at your dinner table. It’s really amazing to have that. Obviously, it’s very helpful financially, to not have to think about cooking that day but it’s emotionally supportive as well.”
To request a meal, go to https://www.foothillscare.org.au/#community-casseroles
