Feastival

Story

Hello,

Please join us for a meal and be a part of making a difference fundraising for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC).

Elissa, Yen and Jackie will be hosting a Feast for Freedom at Elissa’s house to provide people seeking asylum with access to the essential services they need to rebuild their lives in Australia.

This is a meal that makes a difference inspired by the special recipes gifted by refugees that are taken from their own cultural traditions. Every dollar we raise will go to the ASRC so they can provide essential food, housing and health services to refugees and people seeking asylum.

Our three families chose Australia as a safer, better home.  Elissa’s husband’s family arrived in Melbourne as Jewish refugees fleeing from the war in Europe in 1940. Their perilous journey just a few days ahead of the Nazi invasion through Belgium and France left a lasting impression of gratitude across the generations for being able to live in a peaceful country like Australia.  Jackie’s parents came separately from Vietnam in the 1960s on university scholarships, and still today marvel at the kindnesses they received from their Hobart neighbours when they arrived.  Yen’s family arrived in the 1990s from Malaysia.  Yen’s grandmother who doesn’t speak a word of English was tasked with looking after Yen and her brother when they first arrived in Australia and local neighbours were very kind to Yen’s grandma, taking her out for tea, walks or dancing classes while my brother & I were at school.  Language wasn’t a barrier to kindness. 

We want to make the arrival of other people newly living in Australia just as welcoming.

Please come and share a meal with us, and make a donation to help us reach this goal.