Around 70 Millgrove residents were “fed physically… and emotionally” at the River Valley Church’s Millgrove Meals event on Wednesday 30 July.
The free event, which took place at the Millwarra Community Building, addressed a decline in cost-free places where people can socialise and hang out.
River Valley Church pastor Adam Killeen said it was a “beautiful mix of community”.
“We have people come along that are genuinely hungry and struggling to feed themselves, but then we also have a lot of older men who come along that are just lonely,” Mr Killeen said.
“Then there’s the mums and dads who just need a night off cooking.”
The night’s offerings included baked potatoes stuffed with bolognese, bacon, onions, cheese and coleslaw, plus some ice cream and cake for dessert.
Mr Killeen said the event, which runs on the last Wednesday of every month, served to not only feed hungry mouths within the community, but also hungry hearts yearning for connection.
“At our church we’ve got a number of outreach programs that were all based around seeding hungry people, but what we’ve discovered is that the real hunger is just for connection.”
He said it was a great chance for parents to have a chat and socialise over a meal or two, while the kids run amuck and hang out, completely free of cost.
This sort of environment, where one can go and socialise with others for little cost, is often referred to as a “third place” by sociologists – somewhere we go to socialise and hang out that’s not home or work/school.
Defined by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1999 book The Great Good Place, there’s been a decline in third places in Australia and other Western countries, and a marked increase in loneliness.
This is evidenced in studies like Closure of Third Places: Exploring Potential Consequences for Collective Health and Wellbeing published in the Health and Place scientific journal. Though it’s focused on American society, there’s been an increase in media attention to the phenomenon in Australia too.
“We have an epidemic of loneliness up here [in Millgrove]. When you couple that together with the current housing crisis and the pressure that’s on people financially, I think it is important they got a space where they could come along,” Mr Killeen said.
“There’s not a great deal in Millgrove to bring the community together.”
An example he pointed to was the Yarra Junction Shopping Centre which could possibly see a Woolworths expansion swallow up a well-loved communal space if a planning permit application is approved by the Yarra Ranges Council.
But events like the Millgrove Meals night is a great way at fostering that connection and community amid a time where we’re all feeling lonelier than ever.
Groups such as the Millgrove Residents Action Group (MRAG) have also been tirelessly providing third places for community and interaction for decades.
The Millgrove Meals event also proved a good opportunity for people to practice their faith and thank the church for its contributions.
“We always give thanks and pray for our food so there’s a spiritual seeding there as well,” Mr Killeen said.
The Millwarra Community Building was built as a partnership between the River Valley Church and the Victorian Government, with the church and the Millwarra Primary School sharing the building.
The church funds the meal nights with donations it receives from the community and local businesses.
“We’re not a church with a big bank account. We’re a church that, every time we receive [donations], we look at ways to float that out into the community and the people who need it.”
Mr Killeen reflected on the way how the Millgrove community supports each other in times of need.
“It’s actually quite beautiful because it’s lots of battlers that are banding together to provide and care for other battlers.”
