GOODNESS Enterprises has identified a site in central Ipswich for a community centre to expand its food co-op operations and community outreach services.
Charity director Pastor Fred Muys said the sale of the Tivoli Drive In site involved 8 acres of the charity’s 20 acre site.
The 12 acres retained by the charity and 30 acres of neighbouring bushland recently purchased by the charity for koala conservation will be used to further their conservation efforts.
This will include developing a conservation park and working with First Nations people to create a First Nations heritage area and to continue training and employment ventures and to keep the food co-op operational as the new central Ipswich hub is developed.
“As part of our plan to rationalise and refocus our activities in terms of trying to target the Ipswich community, we’ve been wanting to relocate our community services closer to the heart of Ipswich,” Pastor Muys said.
“To do that we have been negotiating to sell part of the land we have here to release capital so that we can purchase a centre in the heart of the city that will provide us with a base to both warehouse food, to operate a community centre and establish a community supermarket where people can access low cost and free food.
“What I am looking at is a centrally located, easily accessible, high profile community centre where we can warehouse food, not just for ourselves but for community groups across the region, because our goal is not to feed just 5000, but 100,000 people a week.”
Pastor Muys said that from small beginnings feeding 35 families a week in 2001, by 2025 they were feeding between 3000-5000 people a week through Tivoli.
“In the greater Ipswich, West Moreton area, there are 138,000-145,000 food vulnerable people,” he said.
“The core needs in the community that we see right now are food-vulnerable households, homelessness, koala conservation and providing employment for young people, particularly First Nations young people, and young people at risk.”
He said there were 140,000-plus people in the greater Ipswich area going without food every week right now who needed help.
“By 2040 we are estimating 220,000 homeless people in the Ipswich West Moreton region,” Pastor Muys said.
“Homelessness in Ipswich has risen at three times faster than any other region in Queensland. Someone has to do something about that.
“The focus now of Goodness Enterprises and Tivoli Social Enterprises is moving away from entertainment, but is focussing with fresh vigour and fresh passion on the community.”
