How FareShare meals make Rosetta feel less alone

“I want my story to be passed on to help,” says Rosetta, one of FareShare’s biggest fans. “Even though it hurts, the more I speak about it, the more it becomes a bit lighter. And if I can make a small difference like you do, that’s everything.” 

Rosetta had a difficult upbringing. “There was never love in the family. My father beat my mother. My mother beat me. My parents never spoke to me. I was always scared.” 

This fear and neglect continued into a series of painful relationships in her adult life. 

When Rosetta escaped an abusive partner two years ago, she went from being able to go to the supermarket and choose pretty much whatever she wanted, to “standing outside with tears in my eyes. Even peanut butter I look at and go, ‘I can’t have you’.”

“Think of it, you’re in the city surrounded by food but you have no money. I can’t even afford to sit in cafes anymore,” says Rosetta. “You’ve lost a lot of people, your mental state, belief in yourself. And you’re hungry.”

That’s why Rosetta is so appreciative of the FareShare chefs and volunteers who cook our free, nutritious meals.

“Because I’ve lost so much, I can better understand. Now I am in need, I can see the parts, how many people are involved, giving their time to give to people like me.

“Your meals don’t just fill your belly, they fill your heart and they fill your soul. You can taste the love and care, like an arm wrapped around you.” gushes Rosetta. “Before I start eating and after, I say, ‘thank you’ and I think about all the people who have contributed to it.”

“That’s why I keep saying: ‘thank you for giving me my worth and dignity back. They’re not just cheap meals, they’re quality. And that’s what blows my mind. The staff at my local charity see me do my little dance. That’s how I feel. I’ve hardly eaten sometimes, and I can pull out your meal and it shows that somebody cares.”   

Rosetta (right) meets FareShare kitchen gardens supervisor Haydn at the FareShare Abbotsford kitchen garden.

Rosetta first came across FareShare meals about two years ago. After escaping her abusive partner, she moved back in with her mum (who didn’t want her) and often subsisted on one meal a day. But she refused to let her past define her and was determined to study. This led her to frequent libraries around Melbourne.

At the North Fitzroy Yarra Libraries branch, she noticed a fridge with beautiful looking meals…“

And the librarian told me to help myself to a couple. One of them was a pumpkin gnocchi meal. And I’m asking myself: ‘Is this real?’ You wouldn’t think you would get such a quality meal. To me, that meal meant a lot.” 

“I was battling depression, all I was going through, and I would look forward to your meals. It started there, that feeling of warmth and worth. I was so grateful to have that food.”  

Rosetta is effusive in her praise of FareShare meals. “They’re the perfect portion. And they have a real balance. And such flavoursome sauces. But underneath there’s all that nutrition. I have a few food intolerances, but I never feel bloated or sick after eating your meals. I really enjoy them.”

After everything Rosetta has been through, the meals mean more than mere sustenance. In past relationships, she recalls always cooking but never receiving a thank you.

“After all the abuse and all the cooking you do, you don’t want to cook. You think, why? But when that FareShare meal comes, it’s like someone’s thinking of me, has cooked for me, that I’m worthy to be cooked for.”

Rosetta notices the impact FareShare meals have on others in her community too. At her local charity, “I see people come in, ragged clothes, sick, they can’t work, mentally or physically ill. You can feel it. They’re all waiting. Then they go in, get FareShare meals, the people there lift you up, and they come out with a smile! 

Rosetta holds up a delicious, comforting FareShare meal.

Rosetta has since moved out of her mum’s house. She now lives in a modest dwelling on her own. Although she continues to struggle financially, Rosetta’s studies are progressing well. At this rate, she will soon be helping others who have been through similar traumatic experiences. 

This Christmas, Rosetta will most likely be on her own, but not fully alone…

“With FareShare meals, I’m not alone. I don’t feel alone. Literally… It’ll still be Christmas but an even better one because I know it’s there.”

On special days like Christmas, Rosetta treats them as days of reflection. “It’s about being grateful. And Christmas is about giving, which includes me in the moment, appreciating who I am. I did think the other day, ‘Which FareShare meals will be coming out before Christmas?’”

Rosetta also has some parting words for anyone else who may be going through a tough time: “Believe in yourself and believe in FareShare, who put all their love into their food and are there for you in a small but important to carry you through. Don’t give up. Because you’re supported.”

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