Charity calls for help Qld and NSW poor

Two of the state’s poorest suburbs will soon be home to free grocery stores as a southside organisation plans to boost its charity programs.

Dozens of people lined up for the opening of Serving Our People’s first free charity shop in Logan in October last year. Picture: Contributed

A southeast Queensland charity will triple its free grocery store business, opening two new free outlets south of Brisbane, after a massive spike in demand.

Serving Our People, one of Australia’s fastest-growing charities, will open free supermarkets at Kingston and Beenleigh, in Logan, by May.

The new stores will operate out of Logan City Council premises in the two suburbs, home to some of the lowest socio-economic communities in the state.

The move is in response to the escalating cost of living crisis and aims to tackle the pressing issue of food insecurity and household pressures gripping the communities.

Serving Our People founder and president Yas Matbouly said the need for the additional two stores became apparent after a massive 66 per cent rise in demand at his Loganholme outlet.

Since opening his first free grocery charity in Logan in October, Mr Matbouly estimated the store had served free groceries to more than 25,000 people, with that figure expected to double.

The first day of opening at the Tudor Park free grocery store in Logan in October.

He said the need for the added services was apparent when he delivered a food parcel to an elderly woman in Logan who gave her last $8 to her impoverished unemployed son living in a caravan.

“I don’t think people can understand what is happening in some of these suburbs unless they’re experiencing it themselves at the grassroots level,” he said.

“Just after we opened in October, we used to have 1500 people coming into our store when it opened three days a week but now we have 2500 — so we know this is where people need our help.

“Luckily, we’ve had the funds to be able to open up an extra day — on a Friday.

“A few weeks ago, we were inundated with 500 families that came in and each of those families feeds between two and four people.

“We are, at the moment, having our purchasing for food increase by tenfold because we are servicing The Gold Coast as well and there’s more schools now asking us for help to provide breakfast programs.

“We are also carrying out more food parcel deliveries and providing some items for youth — all of which help to keep down the crime rate because if people can’t afford food they will steal.”

Kingston East Neighbourhood Group president Geoff Leeming, welcomed the new stores.

He said the Kingston centre, the largest in Logan, had overseen a free grocery service in the city for more than 38 years.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Serving Our People CEO Yas Matbouly and Kingston East Neighbourhood Group’s Geoff Leeming.

“It’s a good thing for Logan, where we know people are really struggling – even though there are already at least 20 other free charity outlets providing these types of grocery services,” he said.

“People who need help in Logan are getting free food – these services are not designed to feed people – they were established to help people.

“There is a lot of competition for government funding in this sector which is being driven by aspiring politicians.

“We feed between 60 and 80 families a week and sometimes more and our total funding is $61,000 a year from both federal and state governments.”

Established in March 2020, Serving Our People initially offered a complimentary delivery service for essential items to those unable to leave their homes.

Over the years, the organisation has grown, aiding more than 100,000 people across southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.

It has extended its role from delivering “bags of love” to opening free supermarkets and facilitating access to crucial services.