When thousands of visitors pass through the gates of the Elmore Field Days each October, more than 230 volunteers are working behind the scenes to keep them fed.
The Elmore Field Days Catering Committee co-ordinates 15 local organisations operating food vans and shops across the three-day event, alongside more than 30 other food outlets.
Together, volunteers contribute around 1500 hours each year, preparing food, serving customers, restocking supplies and tackling the enormous clean-up effort once the Field Days are over.
But the operation does much more than feed hungry visitors.
Between $70,000 and $80,000 in profits from the volunteer-run outlets is returned to participating community organisations each year, distributed according to the number of hours each group contributes.
Local schools, sporting clubs, emergency services, Scouts and other organisations from Elmore and surrounding communities are among those involved.
Catering committee co-president Pip Renshaw said the Field Days had long provided an opportunity for local groups to come together while raising valuable funds to put directly back into their organisations.
The committee also works closely with the Elmore Field Days team and is grateful for its ongoing support, which enables the catering operation to continue raising much-needed funds for the district.
With hundreds of people pitching in across three busy days, the catering operation has become a major community effort in its own right.
Every sandwich made, coffee poured and customer served ultimately contributes to something bigger, helping local organisations fund equipment, programs and projects that continue benefiting the community long after the Field Days gates close.
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