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Harvest Café and Store delivered 80 meals to the Bathurst Women and Children's Refuge on Tuesday, with the donation made possible by the support of community members and local businesses.
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The café ran a pay it forward initiative where diners could make a donation to the cause, which saw around $250 raised.
Owner of the café, Chris Ringrose, said that money was a start, but not quite enough to achieve what he wanted to do.
He approached other businesses in the community to see if they would contribute, and thankfully they did.
It enabled the café to prepare mix-and-match meals, including rice, pasta, bolognese, casseroles and soups, to ensure there was something to suit all tastes and dietary requirements.
Mr Ringrose was pleased to be able to support the work of the women's refuge.
"I've done a bit of work at Wattle Tree House with showing clients how to cook for themselves, so I have a bit of an affiliation with Wattle Tree House and have seen women come down from the refuge, and it was just nice to see the community help them in what they do," he said.
The refuge's family support worker, Sandra Peckham, said she was "dumbfounded" by how much food had been donated.
She said the food will be given to women who require the services of the refuge, particularly those who are being housed in motels, as they do not have access to proper cooking facilities.
"We want to thank the supporters and the people who helped with this, because without [Chris'] support and their support we wouldn't be able to do anything," Ms Peckham said.
Mr Ringrose said he would like to do more pay it forward initiatives in Bathurst, not only for the refuge, but other agencies that could use similar support.
"It's not something that is a one-off. Our focus at Harvest is the community," he said.
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