The Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) has presented $5,000 to Vinnies Kitchen in Rosebud Victoria, to assist the charity continue to provide free, two-course meals to those across the Mornington Peninsula who need it most.
Vinnies Kitchen was selected by the team at Rosebud Plaza, owned and operated by Charter Hall, who recently won the Community (small) category at the Shopping Centre Council of Australia’s Annual Marketing Awards for their innovative ‘Back to School’ project, and were able to select a charity to benefit from the funding as part of the prize.
The ‘Back to School Project’ ran from 16 January 2023 to 22 January 2023 and involved 550 children who created and decorated their own lunchbox. For every lunchbox decorated, Rosebud Plaza donated a lunchbox full of school snacks to Vinnies Kitchen for distribution to those most in need.
Rosebud Plaza’s ‘Back to School Project’ distributed more than 1,500 lunches to the local community through Vinnies Kitchen and created awareness of the direct impact of poverty and hunger across the Mornington Peninsula.
Education was a key pillar of the initiative, ensuring that shoppers were taught about the direct impact of poverty and hunger, demonstrated through carefully placed infographics throughout the activation space, and statistics and resources to inform the community.
Kirby Rogers, Business and Operations Manager at SCCA said “Shopping Centres play an important role in our communities and the SCCA is proud to highlight innovative campaigns such as Rosebud Plaza’s ‘Back to School program’.
“Through the SCCA’s Annual Marketing Awards, we provide four $5,000 grants each year to winners in our Community categories. We are pleased to present $5,000 to Vinnies Kitchen, selected by Rosebud Plaza, so they can continue providing meals across the Mornington Peninsula to those who are most in need.”
The Charter Hall team at the 2023 SCCA Marketing Awards
Dallas Watt, Marketing Executive at Rosebud Plaza said “The initiative resonated deeply with the local community, fostering a sense of belonging and garnering immense success with over 1,500 lunches distributed to those who needed them the most. We are thrilled that the initiative was recognised by the Shopping Centre Council of Australia, leading to winning the Community Award and a well-deserved donation of $5000 to Vinnies Kitchen.”
Anne Maree, President of Vinnies Kitchen said “This generous donation arrived at a crucial moment. It ensured our community had access to nutritious food during the festive season that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible and allowed us to invest in much-needed infrastructure, easing the physical strain on volunteers and enabling them to focus on serving the community.”
Vinnies Kitchen supplies and serves 180 people per week from the Shires Youth Band hall on Point Nepean Road, Rosebud.
