This year we invited the local community to join us at The Dutch Trading Company on July 30th for our 11th micro-granting event supporting ideas that benefit Vic Park.
More than 100 people showed up on a chilly night, had some yummy vegan soup prepared by the chef at DTC, bread rolls kindly donated by Rotary Vic Park, and mingled as musician Laere played some electronic tunes.
Thanks to Community Dishes and Connect Victoria Park, we had ceramic bowls and proper spoons to serve soup – no plastic was wasted in raising funds to local ideas!
It seems environmental issues are on everyone’s minds in Vic Park: all pitches this time addressed environmental concerns.
The winner was Kat Wray, who took home $1130 to start Planet Party Kits, a hiring service for parents looking not to waste single-use plates, cups and cutlery when celebrating their kids’ birthdays.
Since winning Soup, Kat has created a few kits, has already had a couple of clients, and added some awesome fabric bunting to the party kits. Check out Planet Party Kits, make sure to tell your friends about it, and don’t forget to book their kits when planning a birthday party!
James Stalker pitched for Precious Plastic Perth, a local community group that recycles plastic waste to create sustainable and durable products. James is at the Vic Park Farmers Market every Sunday collecting plastics and selling his products, make sure to visit his stall to learn more and discover how you can help out.
Architect Gerard Siero pitched his idea to form a Citizen’s Assembly to work alongside elected members and develop a policy to mitigate and adapt to climate change in Vic Park.
Did you know that the Vic Park Council has declared a climate emergency? You can read more on our blog, and if you would like to contact Gerard about the issue, you can join the Vic Park Community Action Network.
With this year’s event, Vic Park Soup has raised almost $10,000 since its inception to help awesome ideas get off the ground and benefit the local community. The best part is that local people themselves get to choose where the money goes – grassroots democracy in action!
The Vic Park Collective is planning to offer mentoring to local residents keen on starting a project – and pitching at future Soup events. Keep tuned!
Photography: Frog Delacroix Photography