Coffs Harbour Lions roll out free food at Pete’s Place Coffs Coast Coffs Coast - popup ad Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 21, 2023July 21, 2023 Pete’s Place staff member, Opal Harvey, Coffs Harbour Lions’ Chris Hansen, Lexie Clark, Rosemary Hansen and Gai Newman serve fresh, filled rolls. SWITCHING its weekly free meal delivery to Pete’s Place, Coffs Harbour Lions Club set up a table and handed out 60 fresh filled rolls on Monday, 17 July, feeding a steady flow of people using the drop-in service. Chris and Rosemary Hansen, long-time and dedicated Coffs Harbour Lions members donated the rolls and prepped the ham-and-cheese fillings, bringing them in disposable cartons that made it easy for people to help themselves. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “We thought we’d make them up at home and bring the lettuce and tomato and homemade pickles for people to put in themselves,” Rosemary told News Of The Area. “We brought along mandarins from the garden, too.” Lions Club of Coffs Harbour president Lexie Clark, joined Chris and Rosemary and fellow Lion, Gai Newman, at the serving table and said they heard a lot of sad stories while dishing out food. “So many people are struggling financially, they told us,” said Rosemary. “One person said they felt so lucky being able to come to Pete’s Place for a feed on a Monday as they’d had nothing to eat all weekend. “When I first started cooking for Pete’s Place, I’d see maybe ten people come in for food; today it was easily more than 60 people in the one morning. “It was a real eye opener to hear about the homelessness and hardship for many people living in Coffs Harbour,” she said. Rosemary usually cooks a tasty hot meal every week, which she delivers on a Monday morning. With the decision to do something different this week and go and sit outside Pete’s Place with the food table, the Lions said the experience has ignited the idea to make it a regular event, “at least every three months, we’ll come with food and chat with everyone who comes by,” said Rosemary. Lions club is a charity organisation and Coffs Harbour Lions members put their focus on the local community, supporting Pete’s Place and the Neighbourhood Centre. If you think that you would like to be a part of Coffs Harbour Lions, which not only does charity work but has a lot of fun, phone Rosemary on 0433 994 383. By Andrea FERRARI Pete’s Place manager, Anna Scott with Coffs Harbour Lions’ Lexie Clarke and Rosemary Hansen at Pete’s Place.
