Bathurst Uniting Support Services will be able to continue its Frypan Warriors cooking classes and Weekend Café meal service thanks to a $10,000 grant from energy provider, Jemena.
The grant will provide food relief and cooking education to vulnerable community members in the Bathurst area, and will see approximately 624 people participate in the program which delivers over 2,400 meals annually.
Frypan Warriors organiser Maree said Jemena's grant money will enable the Frypan Warriors and Weekend Café programs to continue operating throughout 2025 and into 2026.
"We love being able to provide fresh and healthy food to the most vulnerable and overlooked parts of the Bathurst Community. In 2024, we served over 2,750 meals and we expect to have served around 3,000 meals by the end of this year," said Maree.
One FryPan Warrior participant said, "It is cooking, connection and company. I love being a part of it."
Now in its seventh year, Jemena's Community Grants Program has already provided about $870,000 in funding to 85 community groups. This includes $70,000 awarded earlier this year to initiatives supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
For its second round of grants in 2025, Jemena invited applications for initiatives that address disadvantage from not-for-profit organisations, schools, and charities delivering projects across Jemena's electricity and gas distribution networks. Pleasingly, this year, 16 community groups will share in over $163,000 of funding.
Craig Ypinazar, Jemena's Executive General Manager, People, Safety and Governance said the company was committed to supporting the most vulnerable in the communities in which it operates.
"Local volunteer organisations are at the heart of their communities. We can see from the type of applications we received that cost of living is still a major concern for many in our community. These grants can go some way into assisting those who really need it," Mr Ypinazar said.
"This year we have provided assistance to a range of different services including food programs, multicultural outreach programs and an animal rescue that supports disadvantaged pet owners, especially those escaping domestic and family violence."
