The number of volunteers at Taree Community Kitchen has dropped from 40 to just 10 since COVID-19 became a serious health risk in NSW.
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Catholic Care Social Services Hunter-Manning director, Gary Christensen, says it has left the service in urgent need of more volunteers as the number of people accessing free meals each day remains steady.
"We're doing 50 meals a day roughly," Mr Christensen said.
"We really need some more volunteers to help with the whole operation."
Mr Christensen says this need will only grow if unemployment continues to rise, as more people will be seeking their services.
"We're going to have more people not only wanting our food service, but our wraparound social services - counselling, access to legal aid, access to Orange Sky Laundry," he said.
He encouraged anyone with time to give to get in touch, adding that cooking skills were not essential.
"It would suit anyone 16 years old or above," Mr Christensen said.
"You need to be friendly, be able to connect with people, and if you can cook that's a bonus."
With the majority of the community kitchen's previous volunteers in an elderly age bracket and therefore at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, Mr Christensen said it was understandable that they chose to step down from their roles.
But he said the organisation now ran the risk of having to pare its services back if its volunteer numbers remained low.
"The risk for vulnerable people then increases," he said.
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Mr Christensen said the community kitchen provided a vital service in the community, offering vulnerable people a warm and nutritious meal, a place to connect, and a range of social services.
"It's important for the people who dine at our kitchens to have people to talk to, particularly for their mental health," he said.
Mr Christensen encouraged anyone interested in volunteering at Taree Community Kitchen to phone the Taree office on 6539 5900 or visit the Catholic Care website.
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