Afternoon tea for volunteers

Mary Mac's Place will celebrate Volunteers Week this Tuesday, May 13, with a special afternoon tea for its volunteers.

Mary Mac's Place is a voluntary organisation offering relief from the trauma and stresses associated with homelessness, social isolation and financial disadvantage.

"The hard-working volunteers, consisting of 60 men and women in their 20s to their 80s, can be found, Mondays to Fridays, working in the kitchen and dining room of Mary Mac's Place," said project coordinator Ms Robyn Schacht.

"They prepare and serve over 300 nutritious and hot meals per week to homeless men and women, and struggling families."

The afternoon tea will be hosted by Mary Mac's 12 steering committee members, which include representatives from St John the Baptist Parish, Centacare Broken Bay, St Vincent de Paul Society and the Rueben F Scarf Memorial Foundation.

Special guests at the celebration will include representatives from Mary Mac's major sponsors, administrator Mr Des Riach from St Vincent de Paul Society, director Ms Mary Scarf from the Rueben F. Scarf Memorial Foundation and sales manager Lance Kennedy from Newcastle Permanent.

"Mary Scarf is also a steering committee member and regularly volunteer at Mary Mac's," Ms Schacht said.

"Newcastle Permanent supports Mary Mac's volunteer program through the help of their Woy Woy branch manager Julie Wakeling and Linda Gibson by volunteering one day a month.

"Volunteers are recruited through the Woy Woy Parish and our wider community, Volunteering Central Coast, Wesley Uniting Employment.

"The volunteer organisations will be represented at this celebration to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our volunteers and to honour them for the valuable contribution they make to the social capital of our community."

Volunteers Week officially begins on May 11.

Donations such as the $1000 cheque they received from the Rotary Club of Gosford North last month, enable Mary Mac's Place to continue its much needed work.

The afternoon tea will be held at the Ethel Coz Centre at 100 Blackwall Rd, Woy Woy, from 2pm to 3.30pm.

Press release, 28 Apr 2008 Robyn Schacht, Mary Mac's Place