Feed Hope is facilitated by a passionate and collaborative community of volunteers, striving to ensure that every person within our region has access to enough food to eat, the dignity to flourish, and the knowledge that they are valued. We want to embed a sense of hope within every individual we encounter.
But our story begins with two successful local businessmen who shared a vision. Mash and Simon share their stories.
Mash runs a successful local business, and it was whilst participating in his own church’s Christmas Hamper appeal, he heard his pastor speak of the enormity of need in our community.
That got him thinking. How could he use the business background he holds to bring hope to many in our community?
Simon has run many successful businesses both here in Australia, and overseas. Whilst walking down the street with his daughter, they encountered a homeless person, and his daughter suggested they help. Simon advised her ‘it’s more complicated than that’, to which his daughter replied ‘Why’.
That challenge sparked a vision for sharing what he has with others, and as a family, they vowed to never walk past a homeless person without stopping to chat, offer a meal or coffee, and ensure they felt seen.
Simon and Mash had been independently impacted by the need in the local area, and whilst travelling together, their mutual desire to make a difference was discovered. Over the next 18 months, various ideas were investigated and they visited as many existing charities as possible to learn what was possible, and began planning a route for developing a sustainable model.
Whilst that was explored, they began to build relationships within their own community, delivering take-away meals to known homeless locations in their area – sharing a meal and conversation with those they encountered. But the need exists within homes across the region.
It is now that they are launching into action, with food suppliers, volunteers, and distribution sites already in place, but with a hope to continue what has begun with the partnership of many others.
