Hume Social: Tackling food insecurity and feeding community spirit

Hume delivers so more than a suite of rental housing solutions. We also design programs and services that drive social impact, ensuring we are a strong community anchor for our customers and stakeholders.

In October 2024 we launched a fantastic new initiative called Hume Social – a unique community pantry from our Sturt Street Telopea development in Western Sydney. The bright welcoming space, complete with kitchen and dining area sits on the ground level of Hume’s multi story social and affordable housing development in an area of Sydney. Telopea is home to a high proportion of vulnerable, low-income households and we have several hundred Hume customers living in Hume managed developments in the area.

Hume Social is a weekly joint initiative with social enterprises Foodbank Australia and Plate it Forward . Our goal is to provide food and grocery items as well as dishing up a hearty community meal to help customers facing food insecurity due to cost-of-living challenges. At its heart, Hume Social is about building community, forming friendships, and providing a place to seek information and support.

In December we were delighted to invite the NSW Minister for Housing, Rose Jackson and Member for Parramatta, Donna Davis MP to join us to help serve lunch and meet Hume customers who have been accessing the program.

In the two months since Hume Social began, we have served over 300 residents of Telopea free lunches and given away over 1700kg worth of produce thanks to our generous partners. A pop-up shop also provides free second-hand clothing, toys, and bric-a-brac. The local onsite community garden is also harvested on the day with any herbs and vegetables bagged up for customers to take.

Hume Social is off to a roaring start with attendance figures increasing every week. The initiative is possible thanks to a dedicated team including Community Cohesion Officer Ashleigh Hanshaw, backed by an army of Hume volunteers. Customers have commented that alongside grocery items and fresh weekly fruit and vegetables the biggest impact is the welcoming atmosphere, and the new friendships forged.

One young mum told us she was delighted to make friends, noting her children countdown the days to the weekly Hume Social lunch. “We never met other families unless we bumped into one another in the lift. Now we have time to sit and talk and really get to know one another while the kids enjoy the play zone.”  Older customers too are enjoying the chance to socialise, some who live alone reporting they have newfound friends, and enjoy getting to know the families with children. All agreed that Hume Social has boosted the sense of community spirit and support amongst neighbours.