Presenting your 2022 Westfield Local Hero

We are excited to announce your 2022 successful Westfield Local Hero for Warringah Mall.

The successful Westfield Local Heroes organisation, will receive a grant of $20,000 to help them continue to grow their impact in the local community. Westfield will award 126 grants across Australia and New Zealand – totalling $1.26 million.

In early 2023, we will open nominations for the 2023 Westfield Local Heroes program, so start thinking about those people in your communities who make a difference.

__Your 2022 Westfield Warringah Mall Local Hero is: __

Christine Robbins

One Meal - Northern Beaches Coop
Selfless. Compassionate. Genuine

Christine Robbins did the opposite of most people when COVID arrived in March 2020. Not one to retreat into a social distancing cocoon, she immediately reached out to help locals in need.

As the warm and friendly Hot Meals Coordinator at One Meal Northern Beaches Co-op, Christine has volunteered 40 hours a week to keep people fed during the pandemic.

Christine’s busy day involves coordinating volunteer cooks, mentoring her two understudies, and selecting menus. In addition, she packs and prepares the ingredients for delivery to her 50 volunteer cooks. Together, they prepare 200 delicious and nutritious meals weekly for delivery directly to vulnerable people in our community.

A delivery program also provides food hampers and pre-cooked meals to people referred by different agencies, from domestic violence survivors to COVID isolators and those caught up in natural disasters.

In addition to feeding hungry mouths, Christine saves a mountain of food from going to landfill. Old fruit becomes chutney. Cream that’s about to expire is churned into butter. Tired tomatoes and capsicums are turned into delicious pasta sauce.

“I love helping people, and I love cooking. So when I retired, I wanted to do volunteer work with cooking involved, and this fits all my requirements,” Christine says.

One Meal Northern Beaches Co-op will use its funds to buy a commercial cool room and freezer equipment to triple their capacity to collect and store food.

We also congratulate our finalists who will receive a $5,000 grant for the organisation they represent, and we thank them for their incredible contribution to the local community.

Adele Heasman from Community Northern Beaches
Adele Heasman has been a pillar of support for the most vulnerable people on the Northern Beaches for over 20 years. As the volunteer President of Community Northern Beaches, Adele ensures thousands of local people have access to front-line support for challenges including homelessness, domestic violence or settling in a new country as a refugee.

Tracey Hare-Boyd from Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches
Tracey Hare-Boyd devotes more than 40 volunteer hours a week to keep people safe in the water and leading programs for children with special needs. As the elected Branch President of Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches, Tracey leads the 21 clubs from Manly to Palm Beach. She thrives on volunteerism, camaraderie and the privilege of saving a life.

If you need support, please phone Lifeline: 13 11 14