Ken Grimm, Brett Gottle and Andrew Marley volunteer at the Gathering Table in Kanahooka. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
If you need to fill your belly, or lift your spirit, head down to Kanahooka between 1 and 3 pm on any Thursday.
There, at the intersection of Kanahooka and Thirroul roads, you’ll find a marquee set up.
Underneath will be tables full of fruit, veggies, bread and some cheeky snacks from bikkies to chocolate – all free.
It’s called the Gathering Table, and is run by Brett Gottle through Kingsway Care, the charity arm of Kingsway Church.
He said there were no services at the Gathering Table, just service to the community.
“Loving and caring for people is church for us, so we’re running it as a community hub,” he said.
“To be able to buy fresh fruit and veg is something a lot of people can’t afford.
“We’ve had a guy come in, he has a house full of foster kids and he was able to fill up his bags with fruit and veg to take home.
“We want to bring goodwill and a sense of care and love to the community in a time when people are doing it pretty tough.”
The Gathering Table works in partnership with the charity Second Bite.
Second Bite sources food from Coles that can no longer be sold, but is still good for human consumption.
Through Second Bite Brett visits Coles twice a week and picks up as much food as is on offer, anywhere from five kilos to 60 kg.
He then posts on Facebook community pages and sets up the Thursday stall.
Brett said food wasn’t the only sustenance on offer.
“People aren’t just struggling to feed themselves and their families, they’re struggling internally too,” he said.
“We want to listen, connect and validate people’s stories.
“Being heard and feeling loved is just as important as being fed, and that’s what I love to do.”
The Gathering Table has run in Kanahooka for the past five weeks.
It’s not means tested, no concession card is necessary, and anyone is welcome to turn up and take what they need.
Brett said the response from the community was tremendous.
“I think it’s touching a nerve,” he said.
“Even on Facebook, people who don’t need it know how many others in the community do.
“We have no food left at the end, and we know we’ve been able to bring hope into people’s lives.
“We don’t care if you turn up in a flash car, that’s completely irrelevant.
“If you need to come and get food, come and get food.”
