‘Keeping me from starving’: Devastating truth about packed Melbourne cafe

A photo of a busy eatery in Melbourne’s CBD has exposed the devastating reality of one of Australia’s biggest problems.

A photo of a packed eatery in Melbourne’s CBD has shed light on the devastating reality of our nation’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

In a post to Reddit’s r/melbourne thread overnight, a male user shared the picture of Hare Krishna Food For Life’s Crossways Restaurant on Swanston St.

Bustling with customers, the image was unassuming enough – until one reads the caption accompanying it: “Celebrating Gopals Hare Krishna food charity on Swanston St: the only thing keeping me from starving on the streets of Melbourne.”

The restaurant, which first opened in 1983, prides itself on offering “low-cost, all-you-can-eat, vegetarian and vegan meals: twice a day, six days a week”.

A photo of Hare Krishna Food For Life's Crossways Restaurant on Swanston St, in Melbourne. Picture: Reddit

“Generations of tertiary students have relied on Crossways’ meals to fuel their studies: we hope you’ll call in, whether you’ve returned to on-campus classes or are still studying from home,” its website reads.

“If you’re a pensioner or a concession cardholder, just show your card to receive a discount. You can relax at Crossways.

“If you’ve fallen out of the welfare safety net, you can find a place here.”

Religious affiliation aside, those responding to the photo were quick to point out the venue’s “mind blowing kindness given the state of, well everything”.

“And it’s all pretty tasty f**king food too!” another wrote.

“If you’re waged, def (sic) pop in and drop in a few more dollars than asked for the food, it’s worth it, and the extra bucks help em (sic) give food to folks that can’t really spare any.”

“The food there is utterly amazing – I dare anyone to find similarly priced meals that are a fraction of the taste and substance of this place,” a third said.

More and more Australians are relying on food banks to get by. Picture: Supplied

The post comes at a time when an increasing number of working families are relying on food donations to get by.

Research commissioned by global yoghurt giant Chobani earlier this year found a quarter of Australians feel “stressed or anxious about having enough food on the table”.

Of the more than 6800 participants in the study, 48 per cent said their food security had declined in response to a question about whether it had “improved, worsened or stayed the same over the past year”.

Data from food relief services paints a similar picture. According to the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS), meanwhile, people are “being forced to ration food” to afford other essential items.

“Almost three-quarters of people receiving income support are eating less or skipping meals due to the low rate of payments and rising cost of living,” the organisation previously said.

A quarter of Australians feel ‘stressed or anxious about having enough food on the table’, research found earlier this year. Picture: Blair Jackson

National organisation Foodbank told a Senate inquiry into the cost of living in March it had seen the root cause of food insecurity across the country shift from sudden, unexpected expenses to people struggling to afford “expected” everyday expenses.

In Victoria, demand for Foodbank’s services in 2023 rose from 50,000 people to 65,000. Between 30 and 40 per cent of those across the state had never sought food relief before.

“The middle class, what we all aspire to be, are the ones feeling this impact,” CEO of Foodbank Victoria, David McNamara, told the Herald Sun in June.

“We have got mums and dads working two jobs to put families first and to put food on the table, and unfortunately they are putting themselves to bed without food, they’re sending kids to bed without food – and that’s not our society, that’s not who we think we are.

“This is an uncomfortable conversation to have but there are far too many of us going hungry. That’s now something we have assigned Australia to be, a hungry country; we are a lucky country, let’s make us lucky again.”

Originally published as ‘Keeping me from starving’: Devastating truth about packed Melbourne cafe