Once a month, hundreds of Australians experiencing hardship line up for a free hot meal at selected Grill’d stores across the country.
On the first Tuesday of every month, selected Grill’d restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Byron Bay close their shops early and re-open in the evening for their City Support Dinners program.
The initiative, launched at Grill’d’s Melbourne Southern Cross restaurant in 2022, provides free burgers, chips and drinks to people experiencing homelessness or financial hardship, with support from Vinnies and The Salvation Army.
Grill’d says it has now served more than 100,600 free burgers through the program.
In Perth, where the dinners are supported by Vinnies WA and The Salvation Army WA, as many as 500 people have attended a single evening.
Vinnies WA Manager of Homelessness Services Roberta O’Connor said the growing demand reflects the pressures many Australians are facing.
“The ongoing cost-of-living challenges are certainly impacting more West Australians than ever before, and our frontline staff see this every day,” she said.
“With up to 500 people attending the Grill’d City Support Dinners each month, this is a testament in itself to the growing number of West Australians who are doing it tough.”
O’Connor said while many attendees return each month, others travel more than 25 kilometres from outer suburbs to access the meals, with the dinners offering more than just food.
“It’s about having a safe, non-judgmental space to enjoy a hearty meal, and also building human connection.”
Grill’d covers the cost of the meals, while trained staff and volunteers from Vinnies and The Salvation Army provide support and connect people with additional services if needed.
The program comes as charities continue to report rising demand for food relief, driven by the increasing cost of groceries, rent and household bills.
Recent research by Primara found nearly 90 per cent of Australians consider homelessness a serious issue, while more than half worry they or someone close to them could experience homelessness or housing insecurity in the coming years.
Reverend Bill Crews, who has worked with people experiencing homelessness for more than five decades, said the scale of the crisis is unlike anything he has seen before.
“I have been working with homeless people for over 50 years, and I have never seen it as serious as now,” he previously told Yahoo News.
Image: Vinnies
