Help Lou in 2022

Hi, my name is Michelle, and I'm raising money for our dear friend Lou Ridsdale who has had a hell of a ride in 2022. The funds raised here will go directly to Lou, to help her through a very challenging personal time.

Since January this year, Lou has experienced serious medical conditions that have now been diagnosed and treated, and she is recovering slowly. Still, she hasn't been able to work full time or completely fulfil all of her part-time work commitments. Her health conditions have badly impacted her financial stability as a freelancer and not-for-profit founder.

To complicate things even further, she has been helping, when possible, to care for her ageing father, who passed away this week. That has taken a profound emotional toll, and she needs to fill that well in the best frame of mind possible, without the strain of financial instability.

Lou's been running on empty for the last six months, and now, she needs a hand to help pay her rent and bills until she gets back on her feet. Lou is like most of us; she doesn't find it easy to ask for help, but now she simply must, and I'm hoping her friends and admirers can lend a hand.

If you didn't already know, Lou is the founder of Food is Free in Ballarat, a community-led not-for-profit providing food security and education for people in Ballarat. She wants to get well to be able to continue that work.

She's worked tirelessly and often at her own expense to feed other people, attract volunteers, set up a community workshop and educate locals on food waste and food security.

If you are in a position to help, it would be a wondrous thing to Help Lou in 2022, with the same generous spirit she has always brought to the table.