By Lucy Waldron
The Warwick Community Van is celebrating five years of dedicated service to the local community.
A special free community dinner, complete with a barbecue, salads and desserts along with the Southern Downs Railway mini train for entertainment is being held to celebrate this milestone.
Th Van’s Project Manager Catherine Cazaly said she is very proud and grateful for the Community Van’s impact of the years.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been five years,“ she said.
“While it’s been hard work at times, it’s always been incredibly rewarding.
“Serving the community has been a real blessing to all of us involved.“
Since its inception, the Warwick Community Van has raised over $171,000 through fundraisers and donations from various groups, including the Lions Club and the Traveling Music Festival.
Catherine emphasised that the five-year mark is particularly meaningful as it often signals a critical point for volunteer-driven initiatives.
“Many people told us that the five-year mark is where you often experience volunteer burnout or a drop in enthusiasm,” she said.
“Reaching this milestone shows that, despite the challenges, we’re still here, still enjoying it, and still committed to our mission.”
The past five years has seen many challenges for the community, with Covid 19 and the rising cost of living but the Community Van has remained steadfast.
“Our numbers have started to come back up since COVID, and we’re comfortably serving between 70 and 80 people on a Sunday night. Some of our regulars have moved on, but we’ve found new ones who need us,” Catherine said.
“There’s nothing quite like hearing someone say, ’I really needed that tonight. It was just perfect. Thank you.’ It’s those moments that remind us why we do this.“
The Warwick Community Van plans to continue its mission of serving free meals to the community every Sunday evening.
“We don’t have set plans for the next five years, but if we can keep filling tummies, we’ve met our goal,“ Catherine said.
As the van celebrates its fifth birthday, Catherine expressed deep gratitude for the community’s support.
“A lot of people choose to stay anonymous, but their contributions don’t go unnoticed by those who enjoy the meals and by our volunteers who are constantly amazed by people’s generosity.“
Join the afternoon of celebration at Leslie Park, across from the police station, on 8 Sunday for a 5pm BBQ dinner. RSVP to Catherine on 0409 894 908
