By Mikayla van Loon
The Mustard Tree Op Shop and Cafe has been bolstered with funding supporting the work it does daily to give back to the community at many levels.
Community Bank Wandin/Seville donated over $5000 to the mostly volunteer organisation to purchase a new commercial dishwasher.
The Mustard Tree (TMT) manager Lisa Vincent said it was certainly an upgrade on what the cafe was previously using.
“Our old dishwasher was purchased second hand many years ago and was not coping with demand,” she said.
“The new dishwasher is more than a foodsafe compliance issue. Our café is becoming increasingly busy so this new equipment has enabled us to improve our productivity and continue to offer quality café food at reduced prices for a community doing it tough.”
Grants of this kind, Ms Vincent said, allows the profits made from the op shop and cafe sales to go back into one of the key programs TMT runs; the foodbank.
Ms Vincent said the foodbank this year alone has seen a 36 per cent rise in clients, a substantial indication of how the community is struggling.
Sales in the op shop and cafe ensure the foodbank can purchase pantry staples, meat, toiletries, petfood and other essential items for people to access by appointment.
In August 2022, TMT’s foodbank was seeing an average of 90 people per month, either as an individual or representing a family.
Adding to the support of its output, TMT was this year a recipient of Casey MP Aaron Violi’s volunteer grants program.
“This grant will provide training across a wide range of programs for our 90 volunteers including electrical testing and tagging, barista coffee making, homelessness management and first aid,” Ms Vincent said.
Joining TMT on the list of recipients were Mooroolbark’s Caladenia Dementia Care, Yarra Ranges National Seniors Australia Branch, Mount Evelyn RSL, Chirnside Park Football Club, Rotary Club of Lilydale and Coldstream Football Netball Club, among others from across the region.
Each community group received a grant between $1,000 and $5,000 to support the efforts of their volunteers.
“We have so many volunteer-run organisations in our community that go above and beyond to provide places for friendship, sport, connection and support,” Mr Violi said.
“It’s really special to be able to give back to these organisations that make up the fabric of our community.”
Ms Vincent was extremely grateful to know the work of the volunteers and the needs of the organisation were being recognised.
“Aaron Violi and his team and Bendigo Bank have been very supportive of the work we do at The Mustard Tree and I am very grateful for the opportunity to give back to our amazing volunteers in this way,” she said.
