FOR about 90 years, Yeoval Red Cross has been looking after its community, and today, its Forbes Street shop remains an important hub for locals.
The shop operates as a second-hand store while also hosting a popular home-cooked lunch every Tuesday, bringing together locals, council workers and travellers passing through town.
Yeoval Red Cross president and treasurer Rosie Blowes said the $10 lunches are an important part of community life, with about 10 to 15 people attending each week.
“There’s really not much in the town where people can get a home-cooked meal,” she said.
“A lot of the people, I think this is probably their main meal of the week sometimes.”
The lunches provide more than the opportunity for a good feed, with Ms Blowes saying they offered an opportunity for people, particularly older residents, to socialise.
“It’s just lovely to see some of the widows and widowers that would probably live quite lonely lives,” she said.
“They’re able to just chat and socialise together.”
The branch has 29 members and 11 cooks, with volunteers ranging from long-time members to newcomers.
Secretary Lani Milne moved to Yeoval from the Central Coast three years ago and said volunteering had helped her connect with her new community.
“It gives you a sense of purpose and giving back, and just those connections,” she said.
New volunteer cook Angela Wakeley began volunteering after seeing a call for help and decided to get involved alongside her mother, who lives in Dubbo.
Her mother had previously volunteered extensively with organisations including Red Cross and Vinnies.
“She used to say that was ‘the rent you pay to be on this earth’,” Ms Wakeley said.
But the branch does more than serve lunches and stock second-hand items.
Members make and distribute Red Cross trauma teddies to regional health services, participate in Anzac Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies, hold Christmas celebrations and support other community activities.
The branch recently faced the possibility of becoming a social club after struggling to fill committee positions at its annual general meeting, but members were determined to remain a Red Cross branch after almost 90 years.
The Yeoval Red Cross shop is open Tuesdays from 11am to 2pm. Home-cooked main meals cost $10, with dessert $3, while tea and coffee are complimentary. No bookings are required.