Earlier this year, Peter Everett ex-host of Ready Steady Cook told us about an event that was being planned to support Matt Golinski, the well known Queensland based chef on the show who lost his wife and three children in a house fire on Boxing Day 2011.
With burns to 40% of Matt’s body, he only recently came out of an induced coma, then being told about the horrific news of his family.
Well the national fundraising event has been launched, Plates for Mates. Coordinated by some of Matt’s closest mates – Janelle Bloom, Manu Feildel, George Calombaris, Damian Heads, Gary Mehigan and Alastair McLeod – as an urgent call to arms by the entire hospitality industry to facilitate fundraising for the Matthew Golinski Recovery Fund and to the McComb Foundation.
I’m so pleased that this has now come to light, and these guys are backing this incredible cause for both Matthew and the McComb Foundation, which aim to help the difficult recovery process of burns victims – one that is extremely close to my heart.
What is Plates for Mates about?
The idea is that restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, staff canteens, tuckshops, hotels, pubs, clubs, resorts, suppliers to the hospitality industry and members of the public do something to assist both Matt and The McComb Foundation.
Dr Fiona Wood who researched and invented spray on skin used in burn treatments started the McComb Foundation and the hope is enough money will be raised to fund a research fellowship named in honour or Matt’s wife and daughters, the research fellowships would be to help people heal who have been both physically and emotionally hurt from burn injuries.
How can you be involved?
Visit the website, www.PlateforMates.com.au and add your event, which could be something as little as a monetary contribution, to hosting a lunch or dinner in your own restaurant to raise money for the two foundations. Maybe you own a coffee shop and want to give 50 cents from each coffee to the foundations, or maybe add a $1 surcharge on every bill and donate this to the foundations. What ever it is you choose, ever dollar helps and you have your chance to put what ever it is you choose, on the website. So submit an event, or attend an event. All of these events are listed on the website.
It is a very special cause and I really hope Australia gets behind this – congratulations to the 6 compassionate friends of Matt who all pulled this together.
To watch the Peter Everett video message filmed earlier this year – a message to Matt Golinski, see below:
