Soup van wheels in motion

Bunbury’s needy are a step closer to being served by a soup van after a project won $1700 at a community event last week.

Denise Ladhams, who volunteered with the Red Cross soup van for several years before the service was discontinued last year, has spent the past two months working with a team of five people on a replacement.

The Bunbury woman has already secured the Rotary Club of Bunbury Leschenault as an auspice and has been boosted by winning Thursday night’s Neighbourhood Soup event, which she said felt like community validation for the idea.

She said the $1700 would go towards “sundry” items such as urns.

There is only one major obstacle that must now be overcome – finding an actual van.

Once that is done, Mrs Ladhams believes she will be able to get the service running almost immediately.

“It is not just homeless people who use this service,” she said.

“There are a lot of families that don’t have a lot of extra money and this is a meal for them.

“We want to work with agencies in town to ensure we’re going to the right places.

“I also want to do everything properly to ensure its longevity and involve as many people as I can.”

The plan is to operate on Saturday and Sunday nights to “ensure people can get food over the weekend” and the van’s locations are still to be decided. Mrs Ladhams said that in addition to a van, she was also seeking somebody who could help with administrative tasks.