Dawoodi Bohra communities across six Australian cities have joined forces with food rescue organisation OzHarvest to support people experiencing food insecurity, contributing almost two tonnes of food and preparing 350 fresh meals through a nationwide community initiative.
The campaign was organised through Project Rise, the Dawoodi Bohra community’s social welfare initiative, with volunteers in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney collecting food, preparing meals and helping sort and pack donations for distribution through the OzHarvest network.
In Sydney, the community contributed 800 kilograms of food and 100 freshly prepared meals, with volunteers of different generations coming together to support people facing hardship.
The initiative highlighted how community-led action can make a practical difference when people work collectively towards a shared goal. Volunteers took part in food collection, preparation, sorting and packing, helping ensure donated supplies could reach organisations supporting people in need.
Mustafa Poonawala, who helped coordinate the Melbourne component of the campaign, said the effort demonstrated the impact of bringing people of different ages together around a common purpose.
He said the donated dry goods and freshly prepared meals reflected the collective contribution of many community members who wanted to support individuals and families experiencing difficult circumstances.
The partnership comes as food relief organisations across Australia face growing demand. OzHarvest said its latest research found that 77 per cent of charities within its network had experienced an increase in people seeking food assistance over the previous year.
Keith Brown, National Partnerships Lead at OzHarvest, thanked the Dawoodi Bohra community for its continued support, noting that the relationship between the organisation and community dates back to 2018.
He said the donated food had been delivered through OzHarvest’s network to charities serving people in local communities, helping provide nutritious food while supporting the dignity and wellbeing of those experiencing food insecurity.
The Sydney campaign also incorporated an educational component for children, giving younger community members an opportunity to learn about food waste and the importance of sharing resources with people who may be struggling.
During the awareness session, children explored the journey food takes from farms to household tables and discussed why reducing food waste is important. The activity encouraged them to appreciate the effort involved in producing and supplying food while thinking about how communities can share their resources.
The children also created a card for OzHarvest volunteers as a gesture of appreciation for their work rescuing surplus food and helping distribute it to people experiencing hardship.
Tasneem Baquari, a representative of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Sydney, said the campaign demonstrated what could be achieved when people respond collectively to a community need.
She said the Sydney contribution of 800 kilograms of food and 100 meals was particularly meaningful because the initiative also gave children an opportunity to understand food waste, food production and the importance of generosity.
Baquari said involving children in the awareness session helped connect those lessons with a practical act of kindness, while their card for OzHarvest volunteers provided a simple way for them to express gratitude.
The nationwide campaign builds on the Dawoodi Bohra community’s longstanding involvement with OzHarvest and its broader commitment to social welfare and community service.
Rather than limiting the initiative to food collection, volunteers across the six cities were involved in several stages of the process, from gathering supplies and preparing meals to sorting and packaging donations before they were distributed through food-relief services.
The campaign also highlights the growing role of community organisations in addressing food insecurity at a local level. Partnerships between grassroots groups and established food-relief organisations can help connect donated resources with charities and families that need support.
For the Dawoodi Bohra community, the initiative reflects its wider emphasis on service to humanity. Community centres across Australia regularly participate in projects connected to food security, environmental sustainability and social welfare.
The community has worked with OzHarvest since 2018, with the latest nationwide effort extending that relationship across Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
As demand for food assistance continues to rise, the organisers hope the campaign will encourage more individuals, community groups and organisations to consider how they can contribute to food relief and reduce unnecessary food waste.
The initiative ultimately demonstrates how relatively simple acts of volunteering, donating and sharing can create a wider community impact when coordinated across multiple cities. For the Dawoodi Bohra volunteers involved, the campaign was not only about providing food, but also about strengthening a culture of generosity, responsibility and service across generations.
