Volunteers from the Central Coast’s Thrive church are helping Home in Place’s Central Coast hub, The Meeting Place, support tenants and the local community.

For more than three years, Thrive Crew members, including crew manager Bruce Pountney, have been helping with ground maintenance at the hub and also helping older tenants with home tasks such as lawn mowing, gardening and changing light globes.

Thrive’s community engagement officer Kerri Sugitha and her team also provide meals to people in need.

“There is an increasing need for this kind of thing, especially with meals,” Kerri said.
“Older and vulnerable people often sit with things not being done for months and sometimes years, that’s the gap that we wanted to fill.”

Carmel Thompson and Edith Thomsen have been volunteering every Thursday at the hub’s Shack Shop since March 2022. The shop provides affordable grocery and other items to local residents. People can also access free bakery items and vegetables through Foodbank and free staple foods and frozen goods through SecondBite.

“It’s absolutely satisfying being able to help out here” Carmel said.
“The Home in Place staff do a great job here, and always find time to assist anyone in need.”

Thrive heard about The Meeting Place via interagency meetings three years ago, its support was hampered by COVID 19 restrictions but is now in full swing.

The Meeting Place co-ordinator Jenene said the Thrive volunteers are so generous with their time and make a difference to the lives of local tenants.

“The Thrive crew are invaluable to us, they definitely take a load off our shoulders here at the hub,” Jenene said.
They have a great rapport with our community” she said.

Thrive Church is at The Entrance, New South Wales. The ‘Thrive Crew’ is a mix of men and women from the church, willing to volunteer their time. The team is always looking for new volunteers to join the group and help out others.

The Meeting Place is a community hub at Tumbi Umbi where local residents can access a range of outreach services and participate in activities that build individual skills and strengthen the capacity of community members, providing support to not only Home in Place tenants but also to the wider community. It is open 10am-2pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.