{"id":3787,"date":"2020-11-30T18:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T07:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/umbrelladementiacafes.com.au\/?p=2627"},"modified":"2025-02-20T14:50:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T03:50:06","slug":"what-happened-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umbrelladementiacafes.com.au\/?p=3787","title":{"rendered":"What happened next? COVID 2020."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Shayne King<\/em> & Kirsty Porter<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An umbrella is a useful and necessary item. It protects us and brings us together.  From April 2020 at Umbrella Dementia Caf\u00e9s, it was all of these things and more.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the celebrated story of how our umbrella supported 50 families when COVID-19 hit our community in Melbourne and forced us into lock down, the first time. *<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the 2nd<\/sup> April and the word COVID-19 was just coined. Kirsty Porter, CEO of Umbrella Dementia Cafes, received a call <\/strong>from Dr. Kate Barrelle, the <\/strong>Chief Impact Officer & Manager Youth Programs at STREAT charity.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKirsty, can we help you help your community?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate was leading a brand new partnership charity \u2013 Moving Feast<\/a>.  Moving Feast was created to spearhead action; uniting progressive Not For Profit (NFP) food organisations to supply nutritious healthy food to our most vulnerable Victorians.  And the ingredients would always<\/em> be sourced locally to keep the focus on health and local economic sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving Feast was fast becoming the new social enterprise creating change solutions during pandemic conditions advocating justice, sustainability and resilience for those most in need.  We were in! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, it began, the \u2018Umbrella Dementia Caf\u00e9s Moving Feast Project\u2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A week earlier the Victorian public were informed by the State Premier, Dan Andrews to stay at home for their own safety.  In that moment, our most vulnerable and isolated community friends were just about to be even more isolated! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Umbrella Dementia Caf\u00e9s became part of this solution.  Dr. Barrelle and her team ensured 200 meals a week would be allocated to us as a first response.  The meals would be made in the STREAT<\/a> Caf\u00e9, in Collingwood and would be delivered to us by the 8th<\/sup> April. For those who don\u2019t know about STREAT, it\u2019s a social enterprise that provides supported vocational training to marginalised and disadvantaged young people in Melbourne.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all these COVID restrictions, our members despaired \u2013 suddenly their services, family visits, daily errands and social outings all but stopped!  Kirsty being typical Kirsty grabbed Kate\u2019s offer with both hands and ran with it.  Kirsty had 6 days to make it happen.   She needed funding, volunteers and a venue!  There were also the new COVID-19 safety details to think about and connections to be made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An idea to create connections and boost empowerment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Kirsty called to action all those who have helped build Umbrella Dementia Caf\u00e9s to step up and support our community in our time of need, and assembled a team of volunteers, including myself, to make this project happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Rotary Club Box <\/a>Hill<\/a> Central<\/a> and Blackburn <\/a>South<\/a> Community Bank\u00ae Branch<\/a> also immediately responded and provided the full funding this project needed to support 50 families over 4 months.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Community <\/a>Church<\/a>, Blackburn offered us their facility as a depot to receive the meals from Moving Feast.  It was a \u2018home\u2019 where we could safely work in, divide up the meals, re-package them and then distribute those the meals to our members. The church is wonderfully big, and at a time when we could still work indoors, there was plenty of space to ensure social distancing wasn\u2019t an issue. Of course, masks and gloves were used and at the ready at all times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that first day, we were scheduled to receive more meals than we had people to receive them! So, the net was thrown wider and we contacted our friends at Villa Maria Catholic <\/a>Homes<\/a>, One Community Church, Uniting Agewell<\/a> and St Thomas the Apostle Parish<\/a> in Blackburn to ask if they had members that would benefit from pre-cooked nutritious meals too. And they said YES! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we needed drivers!  Our wonderful community of volunteers responded! Eight families put their hands up, grabbed their car keys and cooler boxes and met us as the Church! With all the permits and COVID safe protocols in hand, we were up and running.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it worked<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The meals were prepared, frozen and delivered by STREAT Caf\u00e9 to the venue in Blackburn. Our team of packers, Vicky, Bec, Lara, Kirsty, and Shayne were there to receive them and place them in labelled bags, ready for the drivers.  One Community Church generously shared their donated food pantry hampers and we included those in the deliveries as well.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The impact was far reaching!  The people we served not only enjoyed nutritious meals, they received a massive (socially distanced) community hug, a friendly smile and words of hope and encouragement; we would endure this pandemic together, what-ever it took! We also spent this precious time together to help our members connect online and find that crucial connection to their families and friends! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery timely for me and much appreciated. The spicy meals were amazing for my husband\u2019s taste buds during radiation therapy. He would eat and did enjoy those dishes. Thank you\u201d<\/p>Lyn<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, I felt so loved\u201d – Geoff<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t forgotten, thank you\u201d – Gladys<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>Mum and Dad, we\u2019re so grateful to receive their meals yesterday, thank you and the team again\u201d – Rebecca<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust wanted to say thank you so much for organising the food drop for mum. It is such an unbelievable help, and we are so grateful! \u201c – Sally<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks for your love and effort in dropping us the delicious meals & parcel, we really appreciate that very very much, to be honest I have never been spoilt to have 5 meals cooked for a week for us!\u201d  – Ley & Dan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuch a big thank you to all involved for their generosity for the food parcel\u2026Does one\u2019s heart the world of good in this strange time\u201d \u2013 Lyn<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Together we achieved<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From that first phone call by Dr. Kate Barrelle<\/strong> on the 2nd<\/sup> April, Moving Feast supplied us with meals every week until the 30th<\/sup> June.  Our Umbrella volunteer team delivered 1,860 meals over several weeks during our first wave of COVID-19 restrictions.  We facilitated 800 to our Umbrella Dementia Caf\u00e9 members and 900 to other organisations \u2013 the true \u2018we\u2019re in this together\u2019 definition! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what we strive to do.  We protect and bring our community together under one umbrella supporting the most vulnerable.  The Rotary Club Box Hill Central and Community Bank Blackburn South funding partnership was instrumental in allowing us to purchase the meals and empowered a fierce responsive team between Moving Feast, Umbrella Dementia Caf\u00e9s Ltd and One Community Church when we needed it the most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results brought more than we thought<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our volunteers discovered the real joy of their weekly deliveries. they developed a wonderful connection with everyone, especially for those who lived on their own.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the co-manager of our Moving Feast Project, Vicky Barnes, wrote \u201cBeing able to converse at a safe distance with mask and gloves was a huge advantage. Three lovely ladies in their 90\u2019s enjoyed this time for a chat and helped us appreciate the need for social contact. The interaction, which brought laughter and joy, will always be remembered.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another volunteer said, \u201cWhen there were so many do\u2019s and don\u2019ts of what we could and couldn\u2019t do, being able to visit another person and actually see the smile on their face was pretty terrific.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first we thought this project was about supplying meals for people who couldn\u2019t get to the shops, but it became much more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What they say about volunteering must be true \u2013 you get more out of it than what you give.  You could call that a \u201cwin, win\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our umbrella was complete and we like to think that we did what we do best \u2013 connect people, make ideas work and unwavering to empower those under our umbrella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch our beautiful video and donate today.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your donation will change lives.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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