Key points
- Hope Cafe, on the grounds of St Mark’s Catholic Church in Fawkner, has re-opened for sit-in dining, offering meals to those in need.
- Staffed by volunteers, the cafe is expecting more guests to arrive as the cost of living rises and more people seek help.
- Funded by donations from St Mark’s parishioners and local residents, food is also donated by food rescue groups OzHarvest, Second Bite and Nourishing Neighbours.
The tea-candles are lit and acoustic flamenco music fills the room as people trickle in and are seated at Hope Cafe, in Melbourne’s north.
It’s a cold Thursday night, and Claudia and Michael have just finished a hearty two-course meal: a steaming bowl of potato and leek soup with buttered bread, and a plate heaped high with roast chicken, vermicelli noodles and cabbage salad.
Claudia and Michael, who have been sleeping in Fawkner Park, enjoy their dessert at the Hope Cafe.Credit:Chris Hopkins
This isn’t a date night for Claudia and Michael though: it’s the couple’s first hot meal in a week.
For the past five weeks, they have been sleeping in a nearby park. Until two months ago, both had never known what it was like to be homeless. They say violence in their respective families pushed them onto the streets.
The cafe, on the grounds of St Mark’s Catholic Church in Fawkner, is staffed by 37 volunteers and supported by parish priest Father Colin Xavier. Each Thursday night it offers free hot meals and groceries – no questions asked.
The cosy retreat tucked off Sydney Road re-opened for sit-in dining at the start of the month for the first time since the pandemic, and co-ordinator Milina Odicho says more and more people are coming through the doors, needing help with the rising cost of living.
Volunteers Marie, Irene, Pilomina and Beverly prepare meals for guests.Credit:Chris Hopkins
“Young families who might have lost jobs, business people who couldn’t keep up with mortgage repayments,” she says. “We’re expecting more as interest rates keep increasing.”
The small army of volunteers dishes up a three-course meal between 6pm and 8pm, funded by donations from St Mark’s parishioners and local residents. Food is also donated by food rescue groups OzHarvest, Second Bite and Nourishing Neighbours.
Volunteer cafe co-ordinator Milina Odicho delivers bread to cafe guests.Credit:Chris Hopkins.
Fawkner businesses Tonetti Catering and Two Little Figs Cakes and Catering also donate food, as well as Trinos Op Shop in Pascoe Vale and the West Street Cafe and Bakery in Hadfield. Students from St Mark’s Primary School and Mercy College also donate gifts, letters and desserts for guests.
“The idea for how we run the cafe came from when we thought about the community and the ones that can’t afford to go to restaurants and have a nice meal with table service and socialise”, says Odicho. “Anyone and everyone is welcome here.”
Fawkner couple Claudia and Michael have dined at the cafe each week since it re-opened, even making the hour-long tram ride from the CBD crisis accommodation they have been staying for a few nights.
“We look forward to Thursday nights now,” says Michael. “They make you feel like you’re in a restaurant here.”
“It’s not like you’re just coming here off the street to get a feed then go. [Melina’s] always got something nice to say to you and you feel comfortable from it.
“It’s like someone cares for you. We haven’t had anyone care about us lately.”
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