Inside Lifeline South Coast’s Community Kitchen. Photos: Supplied.
Lifeline South Coast has breathed new life into a long-standing Wollongong soup kitchen, with its newly launched Community Kitchen serving up more than free meals for those in need.
Formerly known as the Wesley Community Centre and Soup Kitchen, the service was brought under the Lifeline South Coast banner and reimagined within a welcoming, inclusive space in the heart of Wollongong.
Lifeline South Coast CEO Renee Green said the Community Kitchen offered not only highly nutritious meals for free five days a week to anyone who walked through the doors, but also social connection and compassionate conversations.
“This kitchen has always had heart — and now it has a place that offers connection and hope within Lifeline South Coast,” Renee said.
“We’re honouring the legacy of the Wesley Centre while building on it to create something even more impactful — a place where people feel safe, supported, and valued.”
She said human connection and ensuring people felt seen and heard was a critical part of it.
“The Community Kitchen provides a safe and non-judgemental place for our customers to feel part of a community,” she said.
“It is a place where they are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their circumstance.
“On a bad day, our team provides a listening and compassionate ear, and on a good day we are there to share a laugh.
“Where customers are seeking additional support, we are able to link them in with other local services to meet their particular needs.”
The Community Kitchen in Wollongong.
Renee said the program had been going through a transition process for the past year with great success and was now able to be officially launched.
“The changes to the Community Kitchen have been receiving a fantastic response from the community,” she said.
“The existing customers are continuing to use the service, and we are seeing a lot of new faces access our Community Kitchen.”
She said feedback had included things like, “Great place, but I wish I didn’t have to come” to “Keep going with what you’re doing … it’s working and it helps” and “Grateful this service exists. It means a lot to me”.
She said a key event during the past year had been hosting a Christmas Day lunch, where it provided more than 300 meals throughout the day.
“This included over 100 people who dined with us for Christmas lunch and some festive cheer, as well as meals for those more comfortable dining somewhere else, and takeaway meals to ensure people had enough to eat over the holiday period when many of their usual supports are closed,” she said.
Renee said the kitchen contributed directly to Lifeline South Coast’s mission to empower and support the Illawarra to be suicide-safe through connection, compassion and hope.
She said the Wesley Community Centre and Soup Kitchen’s Wesley Meals Program had operated for many decades, with the goal now for Lifeline to build on that legacy.
“We are looking to ensure the Community Kitchen stays financially viable and can continue to grow and expand its service to fully meet the community need,” she said.
“We are looking to continue to grow the services we provide to the local community, utilising the space we have in the Community Kitchen.”
Lifeline South Coast has been supported by a team of volunteers, and food donations from businesses like Collegians Wollongong, Woolworths and Wollongong cafe dear Delta.
Community Kitchen provides free meals to anyone in need every weekday, with morning tea served from 11 am, followed by lunch. It is located within the Lifeline South Coast Community Hub at 3 Court Lane, Wollongong.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact:
Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support line – 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
