For the past three years, Soul of Chinatown has been on a mission to uplift and advocate for the storied Haymarket precinct through storytelling, events and community engagement.

Entirely dependent on donations and volunteers, Rice Fund is a separate charity initiative within the non-for-profit group, created to aid elderly Chinese-Australians and Asian-Australians experiencing isolation.

And is there a better way to get together with old friends and new ones than over yum cha? In addition to donating thousands of bags of culturally specific groceries to community centres across Sydney, Rice Fund also hosts group excursions for seniors to Chinatown. Many participants haven’t visited the area in years, let alone sat down in one of its restaurants for dim sum and tea.

With more funding, it’s the kind of program that could be scaled and replicated across the country, simultaneously supporting elderly Australians and small, family-run businesses.