Every week, in a commercial kitchen on Charles Street in St Albans, a team of volunteers comes together before sunrise. They chop, cook, pack, and carry — hundreds of portions of fresh, hot, culturally appropriate food destined for families who would otherwise go without. It is a quiet act of community, repeated week after week. This is Om Bhandara.

Where It Began

Om Bhandara started in 2020, during the height of Melbourne’s Covid-19 lockdowns. At a time when supermarket shelves were stripped bare and community support structures were overwhelmed, a group of volunteers from Melbourne’s western suburbs stepped up to fill the gap. The need was acute: migrants, international students, and seniors on temporary visas — people with no access to JobKeeper or welfare payments — were going without food.

What began as an emergency response quickly revealed something deeper: the hunger did not stop when the lockdowns ended. The cost-of-living crisis continued to bite. And the communities most affected — South Asian households, newly arrived families, people navigating Australian systems for the first time — needed more than a one-off pantry drop. They needed regular, dignified, culturally familiar food relief.

So the volunteers kept coming back.

The Scale of What We Have Achieved Together

Between 2021 and 2024, Om Bhandara volunteers prepared and delivered over 25,000 free meals across Melbourne’s western suburbs, with a particular focus on the Brimbank region. We have served Indian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Fiji Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi communities — people who deserve food that reflects their culture, their dietary needs, and their dignity.

We have done this through our participation in the Victorian Priority Response for Multicultural Communities program, through partnerships with local food banks, Indian grocery stores, and generous farmers who donate or discount fresh produce — and through the relentless commitment of our volunteer team.

Today, Om Bhandara Ltd is a formally registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and holds Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Donations of $2 or more are fully tax-deductible.

Who We Serve

Our community is broad, but the thread that connects the people we serve is vulnerability. We reach:

• Migrants and refugees navigating the Australian system without a safety net
• International students on temporary visas, often excluded from government support
• Seniors living alone on fixed incomes, impacted by rising food costs
• Families experiencing sudden financial hardship due to job loss or illness
• Newly arrived households unfamiliar with local food assistance services

All of our meals are freshly cooked, vegetarian, and prepared in our registered commercial kitchen at 8 Charles Street, St Albans — a fully equipped space with a cool room, commercial cooking equipment, and the capacity to serve our community at scale.

Looking Ahead

Om Bhandara is not slowing down. Right now, we deliver to approximately 100 families every week — and we have around 20 more families on a waiting list we cannot yet reach. We are actively working to expand our capacity so that no family in Melbourne’s west has to wait for food relief.

In the coming months, you will be hearing more from us about our plans to grow. We believe every person in our community deserves access to a nutritious meal — not once, but regularly, reliably, and with dignity.

How You Can Help

If you would like to support our work, there are several ways to get involved:

• Donate — all donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible. Bank transfers can be made to OM Bhandara Ltd, BSB 083-237, Account 234-109-228. Please email info@ombhandara.com for your receipt.
• Volunteer — join our team in the kitchen or on delivery runs.
• Donate produce — we welcome fresh or surplus food from local growers and retailers.
• Spread the word — share our story with people who may need our support, or who may want to help.

Thank you for being part of Om Bhandara’s story. Every meal we deliver is a community effort — and it matters more than words can say.