Meet Pete, the Kitchen Manager at Hutt St Centre. He serves up freshly cooked meals to visitors who come through our doors.

Pete’s day starts early, arriving at 6am to ensure that breakfast is ready by 7am for 60 to 80 visitors. Then, it’s straight into cooking lunch for up to 140 people.

“For breakfast, I do toast, porridge, cereal, and sometimes eggs. In winter I make hearty vegetable soup to help warm people up after a cold night.

The most popular lunches are lasagna, steak, and fish and chips. A lot of the ingredients are donated, so I really enjoy getting to be creative with the menu every week. But every meal includes protein, often a carbohydrate like rice, potato or pasta, vegetables — and a dessert, of course!”

Serving over 46,000 meals a year requires many hands, and Pete works alongside over 200 regular volunteers who help prepare and serve meals at Hutt St Centre six days a week.

“Our volunteers are the heartbeat of the place, and we couldn’t do our breakfast or lunch service without them. It’s awesome seeing the volunteers catching up with people dining like they’re all best friends.”

Without a safe place to call home, food is hard to come by and hunger, exhaustion, and isolation are daily difficulties. Pete sees firsthand how transformative a meal at Hutt St Centre can be.

“You can tell when someone has come in for the first time, because their face lights up when they realise they get to sit down, relax, and be served at their table with dignity and respect. I really feel that we are making a difference in people’s lives just by serving a hearty meal with a smile and compassion and listening to them. 

Every week people are walking up to me to say thank you, and I’ve heard people share that the meals here remind them of how their mum cooked for them when they were a child. It warms your heart and I feel blessed to do this.” 

The first meal at Hutt St Centre is an important step in the journey to homefulness for many people to access other services like laundry, healthcare, and help from social workers to find a home. 

“It’s special when someone comes up to me and says, “I’ve got a house, so I probably won’t be seeing you as much lately.” And I’ll say to them in the nicest way that I hope to not see you here, because you’re in a house, you’re happy, and you don’t need us anymore. When you hear people getting jobs or housing, it really warms your heart.”

“I want to say a big heartfelt thank you to everyone who supports Hutt St Centre. Our kitchen and meals, and so many other services in the Wellbeing Centre, are entirely community funded and we couldn’t do it without you.”