Cooking and giving with love

From Us 2 Youth
Smart. Kind. Selfless.

Three nights a week, homeless people in Melbourne can look forward to a feast of prawns and steak, cooked with love by Deborah Henry and her dedicated volunteers.

Deborah set up her social enterprise, From Us 2 You, nearly six years ago after her community services studies opened her eyes to the struggles people face.

In addition to enjoying meals created from quality food rescued from supermarkets, it’s a chance for her clients to connect and have a conversation with each other and the volunteers.

“They call me mum or street mum. I love it,” Deborah says.

She has converted a bedroom of her house into a pantry and also offers food hampers to people in need.

Deborah hasn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic slow her down. She is as busy as ever delivering meals and food hampers to the hotels at which local homeless people are being housed and to other services.

Deborah thinks nothing of using her own money to fund From Us 2 You and traded in her car to buy a van to transport the food.

“I don’t need anything. I’ve got a house and a bed. I like putting smiles on faces” Deborah says.

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. From Us 2 You will use its grant to buy food as there is less food available from supermarkets because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here