BPU Community Kitchen

The Black Peoples’ Union community street kitchen is a part of the union’s work strengthening relationships with and supporting our communities.

Currently serving weekly in Dandenong on unceded Bunurong/Boon Wurrung lands and with big plans for expansion this initiative goes beyond the provision of hot meals and occasionally clothes (depending on donations), we aim to foster strong relationships with members of the community, providing a gathering space for people to connect over a hot meal and learning what the needs of our neighbours are and how we may assist in filling those needs.

Currently we operate a street kitchen every Saturday at Dandenong plaza from 3pm-6pm serving roughly 200 meals a week as well as often running strike/picket/workshop support with delicious food and hot drinks. We hope to expand our efforts and be able to run more services in the future such as free breakfast and tutoring for students from low income households, additional street kitchens and much more.

The kitchen is entirely run and funded by BPU and a dedicated team of volunteers and supporters, aiming to ensure there is space for everyone to bring criticisms and ideas to the collective. Every dollar raised contributes directly to sustaining operations of the weekly service and expanding the services that we are able to offer, ensuring that the kitchen remains a steadfast resource for those in need.

Volunteering at the Dandenong street kitchen: There are a few different ways to volunteer to assist with the Saturday street kitchen program, serving, cooking or driving. For rostering on at the kitchen, contact @bpu_communitykitchen on Instagram or sign up on the cognito forms linked below. Serving at the kitchen involves showing up to set up equipment on the day, serving hot food and drinks and speaking to patrons about issues they may be facing. Cooks usually make food at home, we try and ensure everything is labelled for allergens and keep everything halal to suit the needs of the local community. People will cook at home and either come by to drop food off or with notice we can send a volunteer driver to collect food from you on the day. Drivers volunteering on the day of the kitchen are given a list of meals to pick up and will collect the food or clothing donations from volunteer cooks and drop it to the kitchen for service.