A donated giant pumpkin will help City Mission's Morton's Place serve hot pumpkin soup and warm meals for "hundreds" of people experiencing financial hardship this winter.
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According to a City Mission spokesperson, the giant pumpkin weighing more than 60 kilograms, grown by an Amish family on a farm in Scottsdale, was brought into Ye Olde Greengrocer on Charles Street, Launceston.
They then contacted Gastronomy Northern Tasmania, which decided to donate the pumpkin to City Mission.
Gastronomy Northern Tasmania will deliver the giant pumpkin to Morton's Place on June 24. Chef Chaya Rainbird will " cut into the monster pumpkin and make soup."
"Food is for everyone, and this one vegetable could feed up to 500 people, that's my estimate, having not yet cut it open," Ms Rainbird said.
"Let's see how many people one pumpkin can feed."
A community effort
Morton's Place will serve the pumpkin soup on June 26, and any leftovers will be put into containers provided by local business PacBev Tasmania.
It will then be distributed to other community service organisations around Launceston and given to people "who are doing it tough" to take home.
"Here at Morton's Place, we serve up to 60 bowls of soup daily, which certainly increases in the winter," Ms Rainbird said.
"This pumpkin represents much of what we do here at City Mission. We use humble donations to give the community what they need. In this case, a hot meal.
"There's no fairy godmother here turning this pumpkin into a fancy coach; it's a whole team working together to make what will hopefully be a really tasty soup.
"We have a team of volunteers who come in every week, and all will take turns peeling, cutting, and deseeding the giant pumpkin. We will try to waste nothing and share it with as many as we can."
Lyndsey Kelly from Gastronomy Northern Tasmania said, "Food connects us, it's the thing we all need".
A City Mission spokesperson said Morton's Place at 46 Frederick Street, Launceston, is a "safe, warm and friendly place for anyone needing food or friendship".
Morton's Place is open for free breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Soup is free, and a hot meal is available for a small fee.
Find more support here
City Mission: 6335 3000
Housing is a Human Right: 1300 369 711
Homes Tasmania: 1300 665 663
Hugh Bohane
Journalist at The Examiner, covering breaking news, community news, crime and court. Got a story? I'd like to hear it: hugh.bohane@austcommunitymedia.com.au. Formerly a freelance correspondent and Griffith Uni graduate.
Journalist at The Examiner, covering breaking news, community news, crime and court. Got a story? I'd like to hear it: hugh.bohane@austcommunitymedia.com.au. Formerly a freelance correspondent and Griffith Uni graduate.
