Jacinta Skilbeck, Natasha Cummings, Natalie Elliott-Jackson – nominated by Peter Morgan

Jacinta, Natasha and Natalie have been nominated in this category for the innovation and growth brought to Social Justice at Emmanuel College and specifically the weekly community meal.  Conceived during the COVID period, the community meal is a free weekly meal for anyone in our community in need of a wholesome meal in a safe space with the welcome and companionship of Emmanuel College staff and students.  Jacinta took a proposal presented to staff at a professional learning day and mapped its implementation and negotiated with the various stakeholders that saw the first community meals delivered in 2022.  On the very first occasion, a single individual attended.  However this expanded rapidly and Jacinta worked to consolidate the service throughout the year..

Since assuming responsibility for the community meals, Natasha has grown it to the point where over 1000 healthy, two course meals were served to community members in the last 12 months.

Natalie is a foundation member of the team that’s given rise to the community meals and has attended every meal since its inception.  She knows all the visitors by name and listens attentively to their stories.  Natalie is in charge of the coffee machine and ensures everyone has a hot drink to conclude their meal.

Working with McMahon catering, staff and students turn the school’s Cafe’ space into a dining room each Tuesday afternoon during term time and welcome guests between 5.30-7.00 pm.  Over time many relationships have developed between the public and school staff & students through which the guests experience a sense of community without judgement, and the students & staff gain an insight and understanding of the needs of people in the local community.

The community meal has been expanded to include take home food items sourced through the local Food Bank.  Several food drives have been organised during the term enabling students, staff and families to contribute food items that are donated to Food Share which in turn make items available to those in need and attend the community meal on Tuesdays.   The collection and distribution of second hand clothing via the same approach has also been experimented with.

As the community meal has developed, various challenges have been addressed.  Some of the most vulnerable members of the community to attend the Tuesday meals are impacted by debilitating mental illness and on occasions this has impacted the usual calm atmosphere of the Cafe’.  The team has worked around this implementing safeguards for the volunteers and arranged the school’s security staff to visit and check on proceedings and assist if an problem arises.

The community meal with its associated projects and supports provide a genuine opportunity for Emmanuel staff and students to be of service to the community in which we live and to understand that poverty exists and manifests in various forms in our community.

The community meal project is a practical manifestation of the Emmanuel College imperative to share Faith, Hope and Love, and of our values as a school in the Mercy tradition: service, hospitality, respect, compassion, justice and courage.  It is a reflection of how our school community belongs within the local community and a reflection of how we contribute to the growth of our community.

As wonderful as the concept is, it requires people of faith and energy to make it real.  Jacinta Skilbeck, Natasha Cummings and Natalie Elliot-Jackson provide the energy, drive and conviction that brings faith to life.

Update: Thank you to Andrew McMahon and McMahon Family Catering

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Andrew McMahon and McMahon Family Catering for their incredible support with this initiative. Without Andrew’s dedication and generosity, the meal simply would not be what it is.

In recognition of his vital contribution, Andrew has been officially added to this award, and he is proudly featured in the event photos.