Free meals for the community

Kensington PCYC, in collaboration with Hope Opportunity Mutuality Empowerment (HOME) Karawara, distributes free frozen meals to people in need as part of a local program to combat food insecurity.

The Program, established in 2016, was developed by Josh Serafini, a local man with lived experience of homelessness, who has since turned his life around and now assists vulnerable members of the community secure access to food, an essential human need.

The Program is supported by the City of South Perth, SecondBite, Coles Karawara, Royal Perth Golf Club and IGA Canning Bridge.

Approximately 250 meals are provided each week across several locations, which equates to an estimated 4,500 people receiving food assistance over the course of the year.

City of South Perth Mayor Greg Milner said the City recognised the immense benefit of the Food Relief Program to a growing number of community members who were experiencing – or at risk of experiencing domestic violence, financial hardship, or mental health illnesses.

“It’s great to see Josh’s efforts being repaid in this way. Josh, whose work was acknowledged at the City’s 2021 Thank a Volunteer Event, has used his personal experience and understanding of homelessness and disadvantage to make the Food Relief Program the success that it is today.”

In 2018, Josh successfully pitched a monthly dinner project to HOME Karawara to provide community members with a safe place to come together over a free, cooked meal.

Then at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Program evolved into an emergency relief food service before developing into its current format.

Community members can drop into Kensington PCYC during opening hours to pick up a free meal for themselves or anyone they know in need of food relief.