Macquarie St, Morocco visitors
Cross said that, especially at a time when many people are struggling with the cost of living, OBK and its many volunteers “provides help and hope to people who are most in need”.
Two sets of high profile visits to Bondi-based Our Big Kitchen (OBK) earlier this month – from NSW politics and the Kingdom of Morocco – proved to be recipes for further success.
On June 13, Morocco’s ambassador to Australia, Wassane Zailachi, visited OBK to witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Jewish-run food charity and a similar Moroccan-based charity called JOOD.
OBK co-founders Rabbi Dovid and Laya Slavin welcomed JOOD’s founder Hind Laidi – who travelled from Morocco to spend a week at OBK to exchange ideas and experiences.
After the signing ceremony, they prepared and cooked Moroccan meals and pastries with Zailachi and members of his embassy’s staff, for donation to Sydneysiders in need.
Zailachi spoke about the “very warm relationship that the Jewish community has with Morocco” and how the OBK and JOOD partnership “brings together two organisations that are analogous to each other, despite existing on opposite sides of the world”.
Rabbi Slavin said it will “facilitate the exchange of ideas for the betterment of all who turn to the charities for help”.
On June 9, OBK hosted a visit by four NSW parliamentarians – Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloan, Member for Davidson Matt Cross, and NSW Legislative Council members Chris Rath and Jacqui Munro.
For Cross and Rath, it was their first time visiting OBK.
Cross said that, especially at a time when many people are struggling with the cost of living, OBK and its many volunteers “provides help and hope to people who are most in need”.
Rath said OBK is an excellent example of “community members volunteering to make life better for others in these difficult times”.
Munro was impressed by the impact OBK has to make a difference, while also creating opportunities for people to meet and cook with people they would otherwise not have an opportunity to connect with.
Sloane, who has had a long association with OBK, said it provides about 250,000 nourishing meals per year for dozens of charities to distribute and demand for those meals are rising.
“There are so many inspiring stories that have come out of this communal kitchen – a place of team-building and people coming together.”
The politicians completed their visit by chatting over chopping vegetables.
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