Need A Feed – can you help?

Local organisation Need a Feed is a valuable and very much appreciated service that has a huge impact on so many lives. Shaz Harrison, founder of Need A Feed (and Need A Coffee), spoke to me about her motivation for setting up the organisation. which helps people who are experiencing difficulties.

What is Need a Feed?

Need a Feed is a local charity partnering with other service providers by providing emergency food ‘gifts’ to people in need throughout the Illawarra. Our service is designed to connect people with services and provide emergency food ‘gifts’ to those who are facing a variety of challenging situations e.g. fleeing domestic violence and literally have nothing.

We also operate a mobile coffee van, Need a Coffee, in Globe Lane each week where we provide ‘more than just coffee’. Our volunteers have had thousands of hours of meaningful conversation and provide an all-inclusive space for people with addictions, the vulnerable and the homeless. The Need a Coffee van is available to attend events, which are a major source of fundraising, 100% of profits go right back into our community service.

Our volunteers also collect food from local collection points and wholesalers and redistribute to organisations, some centres feeding between 80 to 100 people per day.

We rely on private financial donations and sponsorships to continue our community service as we are not government funded.

Our mission is to empower, connect and provide food to those in the community who are facing tough life challenges.

Some of our partners are:

• Bulli Community Centre
• Berkeley Neighbourhood Centre
• Wollongong City Council
• Wollongong Local Police
• S.A.H.H.S.I
• F.A.C.S
• Mission Australia
• NSW Health
• Illawarra Koori Men’s Support Group

What led you to start it?

I started Need a Feed due to my personal experience. There was a time in my life where I struggled to put food on the table and didn’t know how to access help [and] I suffered in silence. I made the decision to start Need a Feed so I could help others by providing connection to other services and empower people to take responsibility and create a positive mindset whilst providing as much support as possible.

In the beginning it was my mum and I who delivered food to people who needed it. Over the years the demand has increased and we found that people wanted to join in so we recruited volunteers to help meet that demand.

The people we help are facing some tricky situations, so due to work, health and safety considerations for our volunteers, our business model has developed into what it is today, where we now partner with other charities who are working directly with those in need. Need a Feed has been operating for over 10 years now and has provided purpose for the people we assist and our volunteers.

Tell me more about you.

I left school and studied nursing so I have always been a ‘helper’ and cared for the wellbeing of people. There are so many things I have learnt since starting Need a Feed. One lesson in particular is that anything can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of your upbringing, situation or surroundings. This rang true for me when my world was completely turned upside-down and I was involved in a domestic violence situation. Just when I thought I understood where people we help are coming from, this experience provided me with a deeper understanding and real empathy for people in similar situations, unfortunately (or fortunately, depends how you look at it) more than I ever expected. I now understand the psychology and behaviours on both sides of the situation.

Who are you helping?

We are helping families, the homeless and lonely, domestic violence survivors, people with mental health issues and those on a low income.

How can people access your service?

We work on a case by case basis, primarily working with service providers who connect us with people who need food.

What's happening in the lead-up to Christmas?

Each year we hold a Christmas party at MacCabe Park where we share the Christmas spirit with the vulnerable and lonely, because for some Christmas is not always a happy time. Our aim is to be the ‘family’ some people don’t have, give out food ‘gifts’, breakfast and provide a positive experience.

We are looking for event sponsors and also non-perishable food donations for our volunteers to package and distribute on the day.

How can people help?

We are community supported and rely on private financial donations and sponsorships to continue our much-needed service throughout the Illawarra. Our primary need is financial assistance because without this support we simply cannot continue. The community can also donate non-perishable food at any of our food collection points.

Please help us financially to serve the community by donating here.

For any further information or to sponsor please contact shaz@needafeed.org

Find out more at the Need a Feed website