AT a time when many in Bathurst are struggling to keep up with rising costs, Vivability is introducing a new initiative to help take the pressure off while building social connection.
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It's called The Big Lunch.
Every Thursday between 12pm and 1.30pm, Café Viva will host a free community lunch in the grounds of the Cathedral of St Michael and St John.
It's an opportunity for anyone in Bathurst to come along, have something to eat and, if they wish, socialise with other people.
Chief executive officer Nick Packham said this is something that Vivability has been wanting to do since it started Café Viva in September, 2022.
"When we first started talking about establishing the café, we thought the idea of a free lunch one day a week was a really nice community event," he said.
"We thought if we received the support of the community for our café, then we'd like to give something back to the community."
The Big Lunch will be held for the first time on Thursday, October 5.
Each lunch will be catered by Café Viva and Viva Eats employees, many of which are people with disabilities.
It allows them to hone their skills and increases the workload for the businesses, creating additional employment opportunities.
"The café has been really popular in terms of people who want to work in that space and, obviously, we've got limited numbers of positions in the café itself," Mr Packham said.
"We thought once we were able to move to a larger restaurant space, which we've done, The Big Lunch will provide more hours of employment for people.
"It's got a dual focus of increased employment for people with disabilities, while establishing a really nice community event which happens weekly."
The Big Lunch is being sponsored by the Western Advocate, 2BS, Reliance Bank and Bathurst Bulldogs.
There will also be a charity golf day in November to raise money to run the lunch throughout the next 12 months.
Mr Packham hopes people embrace The Big Lunch and find value in it.
"We're really keen for all of the community to take advantage of the lunch, because we believe through the connections and the networking, people can perhaps build supportive environments, which support employment, social interaction, etc," he said.
It could also make a difference for people who are on tight budgets in the current financial climate.
"There are lots of people in our community that are struggling," Mr Packham said.
"We know that there's a housing crisis, we know that the cost of living pressures have really impacted people generally in the community, so if Thursday lunch is one meal that people don't have to worry about where it's coming from, that's a good thing."
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Rachel Chamberlain
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
