By Vanessa Chircop
THE vision for a Community Café at Altona North Library may be under threat due to lack of funding.
Hobsons Bay City Council, along with Altona North Community Library and Yooralla are appealing to local businesses and the community to support their vision for a community café to be run by people with disabilities.
The café will be unlike a typical café offering employment to members of the community who typically struggle to find employment.
The site has already been built as part of the new Altona North Community Library which opened in March this year.
The project now requires funding to make the space operational.
Yooralla’s Business Development Manager Ian Edlin said the café could potentially have a significant impact on the lives of many individuals with disabilities in the local community.
“The shell of the café is already there – we just need around $50,000 initial funding to buy equipment, such as the coffee machine, display fridge, microwaves, etcetera – this will help us get things started,” he said.
“This project represents a major step in the right direction and we really hope local business will get behind it, for the benefit of the entire community.”
Yooralla’s Riff Raff Catering provides pre-vocational food handling training for young people with disability, offering experience and pathways for future employment in the hospitality industry.
Riff Raff is a viable catering business that provides catering services for Yooralla staff meetings as well as local businesses in Melbourne’s Central Business District.
Funding will allow the café to open and run for the first year. To find out more about the café or to make a donation contact Ian Edlin, Paul Nugent or Judith Price at Yooralla on 9650 4077.
