Project of the Month

Each month The Cheerful Giver will also feature a special Project of the Month. This will be a project of our choice, and one we’ll give special attention to throughout that month.

Keep an eye out for these each month to discover more about the great work people and organisations are doing throughout the world.

September 2025

Let’s Make Better than sandwiches!

Each Monday and Wednesday night in Orange NSW from around 5pm, a small group of dedicated volunteers get on board the local Vinnies Food Van and head out to provide around 50 desperate people, including children, with something to eat.

These desperate people vary in their circumstances, but all have one common need, some regular and meaningful nourishment.

The Vinnies Food Van provides much more than just food for these folk, the volunteers care about these people and so they also offer friendship, conversation and encouragement to those they engage with.

The logistics required to operate the Vinnies Food Van in Orange should also not be under-estimated. Around 50 volunteers are involved in various ways including the making of around 100 sandwiches each day the Van operates, and now the added preparation time required to provide the hot meals.

Until recently the Vinnies Food Van was only able to provide sandwiches and hot drinks. Sandwich fillings such as cold meat and BBQ chickens, as well as bread and other basics were sourced from local businesses. Let’s Make Better (LMB), a local family run charity, has been providing the cold meat and BBQ chickens to Vinnies for several years. The family who run the LMB charity also operate two IGA stores in Orange.

Since June this year, LMB has increased their support to include 20 hot meals each week, 10 each night. These meals cost around $8 each and LMB decided to trial them through until September 30, to help people get through the cold Orange winter.

The meals have been “warmly” received and LMB would like to increase the number of meals provided and keep them going indefinitely. To do this, LMB is inviting donations from other Cheerful Givers who would like to see the number of hot meals LMB provides, continue to increase and be maintained indefinitely.

To help LMB in its endeavours, The Cheerful Giver is pleased to make this our Project of the Month for September 2025. Every $8 you donate will provide someone in desperate need with a nourishing hot meal, one they might otherwise not get to enjoy. Will you help?

To help LMB provide more hot meals to the Vinnies Food Van in Orange NSW, you can donate here – (Note: donations to LMB are tax deductible).

www.letsmakembetter.com.au