community relations
CHARITY PUTS DOWN MALL ROOTS
Chef , Neil Perry finds a home for his Hope Delivery charity at Stockland Piccadilly in the Sydney ( Australia ) CBD .
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic , international visa hospitality workers and other people in need in Sydney and Melbourne , Australia , have relied on Hope Delivery for sustenance . But despite having prepared more than 300,000 meals , the community program had yet to find a permanent home from which to operate until recently when Stockland stepped in to help .
" We ’ re grateful that Stockland has provided a prime tenancy within their Piccadilly CBD retail precinct so we can continue with the great work we do with Hope Delivery . We ' ve been searching since late last year for a location that has a kitchen suitable to accommodate the number of meals we need to produce , but also with a separate area where our volunteers have enough space to package the food for distribution ," explained chef and restaurateur , Neil Perry .
" Our new location at Piccadilly will allow us to produce upwards of 5,000 meals per week for those most vulnerable in our community , which is really exceptional ."
Part of Stockland Picadilly ' s appeal is its CBD location , which makes it easy for volunteers to reach . It also gives the charity access to a new clientele .
" For the first time , we ’ ll also be selling our food for purchase to CBD workers , which will help us to fund even more charitable meals . We ' re excited to offer more ways for the community to get involved , whether it be through donations , volunteering , or — soon — through purchasing meals to take home ," Perry noted .
For Louise Mason , Stockland ' s group executive and CEO of commercial property , the plan makes sense given the expanded role that centers now play .
" COVID-19 has forced the retail industry to think differently about its shopping centers and consider new ways to utilize space that help make it more of a destination and remain relevant in such a challenged environment ," she noted .
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