Like a lot of people currently experiencing hardship, Steve never expected to need food relief. But in recent years, FareShare meals and other food have provided him with nutrition, comfort and a valuable sense of community.
How FareShare meals support Steve and so many other people in his community
After obtaining a journalism and communications degree, Steve became a successful editor, editing PhD theses for academics around the world, and editing publications on everything from nuclear physics to philosophy to film studies for universities like Cambridge and Oxford.
A bi-polar diagnosis at the age of 50 changed all this.
With his mental health increasingly affecting him, Steve couldn’t stay “on the treadmill” and had to leave his job.
And just like that, Steve embarked on the slippery slope towards food insecurity.
For years now, Steve has busked at a shopping centre in Reservoir. During the pandemic, a volunteer at Reservoir Neighbourhood House saw him and asked if he wanted to come down to a little community barbecue and sing some songs.
That was the beginning of a beautiful partnership.
Steve began receiving FareShare meals and other food from the neighbourhood house when needed.
“I realised after the pandemic, with the food prices that had gone up, I absolutely needed food assistance.”
He was introduced to FareShare meals, and immediately loved the “varied ingredients, quality and convenience.”
He also started volunteering there to repay them for their generosity. In this role, Steve has great insight into the community, and their response to FareShare meals.
“The two years’ post-pandemic have been really, really rough on a lot of people… The number of times I’ve seen people coming off the street looking ragged and hungry. And all you have to do is go to the freezer, and say, ‘There you go. Take your pick [of FareShare meal]’. To have a choice, for somebody who’s been doing it rough, is really, really big.”
When asked about the impact of a FareShare meal after someone who presents hungry eats one, Steve responds emphatically:
“Smiles. Smiles abound when people get a hot FareShare meal. …People love them. They all disappear.”
“Smiles. Smiles abound when people get a hot FareShare meal. …People love them. They all disappear.”
But the food is just the beginning. For Steve and so many others, socialisation and feeling like part of a community is essential.
FareShare meals and other food are the conduits for this.
Steve believes he has had bi-polar since his teens but says it’s really difficult to diagnose because, “when you’re bright and hypomanic, everybody loves you. But when you’re depressed, you keep to yourself. So everybody thinks you’re doing absolutely fine all of the time.”
One of the keys to maintaining bi-polar and optimal mental health is socialisation, and handing out food and FareShare meals to people helps Steve immensely.
“This is my socialisation post. I’d hidden myself away during the ten years of academic editing and when I started busking. But I was told I had to socialise, and it’s working.”
Steve is not the only one to benefit from the sense of community.
“There are people I’ve seen every fortnight for the two and a half years I’ve been coming here. You can tell that the continuity and interaction with somebody is a stabilising thing for a lot of people.”
“There are a lot of older people and a wide variety of ethnicities here. And I think some of them have a hard time assimilating.”
Having an inviting neighbourhood house that people can gravitate to – complete with FareShare meals, fresh food, and other services – is vital, according to Steve.
“We need it,” says Steve matter-of-factly. “There seems to be a lot of individualism happening in the world today and things like this community are getting lost. But it’s always good to know that you’ve got somewhere to go… that you can get something to eat and socialise with friendly people.”
