Dinner under the stars: hearty meals, hope and helping hands

“I remember when we had 2 red eskies filled with donuts and coke – on our first night out that’s what we took with us. That’s how this started.

I remember one night Jon woke up in the middle of the night and said “Nightlight”. I asked him what on earth he meant and he said he didn't know – but the idea was there, the seed of it.

We started off with a van that went around with some volunteers. We had an urn in there for coffee. We had coffee and tea and got food from local bakeries – we would go to local parks and unit blocks and meet people there. We went out to people instead of them having to come to us. That was great because it really built a community among the people who were close to the park, or who lived in those unit blocks.

‘That kept getting bigger and eventually we started putting on barbecues at the train station – and we’ve been there every week since then. We never stopped. When it rains, we do takeaway boxes.

Seeing the relief on people's faces, and their families when you give them a bit of hope, is such a reward and really keeps us going. Of course, we can’t help everyone – but we really try and help everyone we can.

‘The support we receive from the local community is amazing. I remember a little while ago we had one of those moments where you just reflect at where we are now with everything and where we started. From that to where we are now, with so many people involved, is amazing.”

— Michaela - Nightlight co-founder

“Pre-COVID we would regularly have 300 people here and we are starting to climb up to that number of guests each week again now. Which is not a good thing, because there is such a level of need out there - but also, we are not dealing with just a large number of homeless people: we are also dealing with a large number of lonely people.

We have a man who comes here regularly from Bowen Hills on the train because it gives him something to look forward to and a connection.

At one point, we had $70 in the Nightlight account – but we never thought about stopping because we knew we had to go on. The need is there.

The local restaurants and businesses are amazing. People are getting restaurant quality meals here, really good quality hearty stuff – and access to all these other services while they are here too. All of these people – and no sense of being judged.

All people really want is to be treated with dignity, to be looked in the eye and listened to and we offer that here. It is its own community. ”

— Jon - Nightlight co-founder

“I have been volunteering with Nightlight for 3 years, since we moved from New Zealand. My mum is a long-term volunteer here.

Being able to help families and children by giving them a plate of warm food and helping them find a place to stay has such an impact on who you are. It is incredibly rewarding. To be able to give back is just the most fulfilling feeling. There is a lot of need out there and I am pleased to be able to do my part to help.

I sort through all of our donations and put them together so that when someone is housed, we can provide them with everything they need for that house, right down to toys and a potato peeler for the cutlery drawer. We have mattresses, warm clothes, (and) things for people who haven’t yet found somewhere to stay and might be living in cars.

I also see the people who come to us help each other too and find friendships that help them feel safe and connected while they go through hard times. That is one of the best things to see.”

— Naomi - Nightlight volunteer

“Last week a young family came here – a mum, a dad and 2 little girls, about 4 and 6. We’ve been helping them out for a little while, so we know them. Last week I was talking to them, and dad had been out of work, and they had had their electricity cut off, they had no food in – everything was going wrong for them, it was a bad patch.

We had a food parcel we were able to give them for the kids' school lunches and things. They stayed and had a feed here, and as they were walking away the youngest daughter turned to her mum and said, “I told you when we came here everything would be ok”.

To hear that was really moving. That little girl knew there was somewhere she and her family could go, and that is priceless. I nearly cried – and it takes a lot to make me cry!

We help people, no questions asked. Some people are homeless, some have somewhere to live but are struggling.

What we do here is important. For some people, this is part of their weekly budgeting, and for others, it is a place where they can find their hope again.”

— Craig - Nightlight volunteer

“You’d have to have a pretty cold heart not to be moved by what you see at the Dinner Under the Stars every week.

I just think it’s important to lend a hand so I do that here wherever I can – setting up, packing down, helping feed people. I know how hard life can be and I like to think I can contribute to making people’s lives a little easier or more pleasant. We have our regulars here who we know by name – lots of people come for a chat. It’s a great thing for me to be a part of.”

— Bob - Nightlight volunteer

“We’ve been coming along for about a year. We wanted to be a part of this community. The dinner was already established, and we knew how impactful it was, so we wanted to be a part of that.

‘The price of a men’s haircut now averages about $30 and that’s just out of reach for a lot of people – by giving that to people for free they can feel better about themselves. It makes a difference.

‘Anything where a bunch of people come together and chat, help each other – it is a really positive thing to be part of.”

— Jacob and Graham - HOPE Barbers

“We go to a lot of community events and have been coming to Nightlight for about 5 years. It is a safe, organised, judgement-free place for people to come and seek advice. We are literally a GP surgery set up in an old ambulance.

I work as a GP during the day, and I might see 45 patients in that time. I might feel really tired and drained by the end of the day – and then I come here, and it is just so rewarding. I feel like I am part of a society, contributing to something that is doing so much good.

There are barriers for people who are experiencing homelessness or other challenges in life to seek medical help for a range of reasons. It might be around shame, mistrust, many things - and it can be so detrimental. Street Doctor is about going out to the community and meeting them. I have seen people for whom it is their first time visiting a doctor.

Doctors and doctor's surgeries signify authority figures and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable – so if we meet people in this sort of environment it is easier for them to approach and talk about their concerns.

My advice to everyone is that the very best thing you can do for your health is to get your own regular GP and regular care. ”

— Adel - Street Doctor

“We’ve been coming to Nightlight for about 3 years, and while we offer the services for people to wash their clothes and have a shower here, what we want to foster more than anything is a place for open conversations and trust.

We have our orange chairs which we have in a semi-circle and it is meant to encourage conversations and connection between us and the people who come to us. When you see the chairs, you know that this is a meeting space. Because we have been coming here for so long, we have our regulars that we see often and have built a relationship with. We don’t see anyone as who they have been or who they might be – just as they come to us.

Nightlight is amazing, it feels very much like an outdoor market but instead of stalls, it is services – and it really is a judgement-free zone. We disconnect from being clinical and we reconnect with being real.”

— Amelia - Orange Sky Laundry and Showers

“We've been working with Nighlight for about 18 months - since not long after we bought the restaurant. We were introduced to them by the previous owners. We provide a few dishes but our chocolate mousse is the biggest hit from what we hear!

It takes a village to make something like Nightlight work - and as a small business we are keen to donate as every bit helps. By providing the food we have at the restaurant it is giving people the feeling of being able to have those luxuries, and as long as we can physically keep working with Nightlight, we will continue.

Things like this are so important - it only takes one thing to end up in a bad situation. COVID really showed that to me; I am a chef and I very much felt the fear of my house possibly being in jeopardy if I couldn't pay the mortgage. You can go from being in a good situation to needing a hand very quickly. And this is a really close-knit community which is quick to give people a hand.”

— Chris - owner, Serranos Restaurant Beenleigh