Three soups were on the menu on July 2 to raise money for a dementia-friendly garden.
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Customers enjoyed Thai pumpkin, pea and ham, and tomato soup with bread rolls at a pop-up soup cafe at the Port Macquarie CWA Rooms.
Organisers put out extra tables as more customers flowed in.
St Agnes’ Parish Food Services produced the soups, Newman Senior Technical College students helped out in the kitchen and people living with dementia decorated the tables with herbs.
Customers received a bookmark about how to become a dementia friend.
The pop-up soup cafe is the first initiative in a 12-month program to build greater awareness, acceptance and understanding of dementia in the community.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council inclusion officer Julie Priest said the aim was to create awareness about dementia and reduce stigma.
“We want this to be the new normal that people living with dementia are included in our everyday activities,” she said.
Pop-up soup cafes will go ahead between noon and 2pm at the Laurieton School of Arts Hall on July 3 and the Senior Citizens Centre in Wauchope on July 4.
The Four Seasons in One Dementia Day program, with four events across four seasons, highlights the challenges people living with dementia face within our community.
The council received a $15,000 grant from Dementia Australia and will work alongside the St Agnes’ Parish, Omnicare and the Seniors Rights Service to deliver the program.