How the Ballarat SoupBus was supported by a locally-based Greek restaurant

Last week, owners of Hellas Fest in Armstrong Street, Raj Singh and Briya Kaur, backed the SoupBus by having their manager Dillon Griffin use his culinary skills to help feed the city's impoverished.

For Mr Singh, there was a clear rationale behind his decision.

"There are less fortunate people in our community," Mr Singh said.

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"The food we are giving is real food. This is real lamb. We want to give the people who haven't had the chance to try our food, the chance to try it. We want to make this festive season special for them."

This was not the first time Mr Singh and Ms Kaur have donated to SoupBus, but Thursday's humanitarian contribution was distinct from previous gestures.

"We were thinking of donating money to the SoupBus, but we thought, 'Why not give them food instead?'" Mr Singh explained.

Mr Griffin possessed similarly genuine beliefs in the lead-up to the night.

"A lot of people get thought of at Christmas time, but not a lot get thought of after Christmas," Mr Griffin said.

"My motivation was, 'Let's let them know people are thinking of them after Christmas'. Things like the kebabs might be something they haven't had from the SoupBus before. We thought it might be a great idea to give more variety."

SoupBus food coordinator Lynda McDonald, appreciative of the involvement of Hellas Fest, is emotionally attached to her role as she is aware of the SoupBus' importance.

"It's helping people," Ms McDonald said.

"Sometimes, it is one week when the car's broken down. You can't get someone to pay for the car, but you can get free food.

"For some people, it's their catch-up. You get to see people, talk to people. The volunteers on the bus know them and know their names and chat to them."

The impact of the SoupBus is immense, according to Ms McDonald.

"It makes you feel good; it makes them feel good," she said.

Ms McDonald is desirous of the local population becoming more aware of those who are struggling.

"It's a world that people should know about," she said.

"There's a lot of really good people who use these facilities for all different reasons. People don't understand that."

The industrious nature of Mr Singh and Ms Kaur has seen them climb from migrants in a new land to successful and generous Ballarat residents.

Mr Singh arrived in Australia in 2008. He worked as a kitchen hand at Crown casino and at Hungry Jacks. Upon her arrival, Ms Kaur started as a kitchen hand herself in New South Wales before moving to Crown casino.

In 2017, the couple opened the Start Cafe in Humffray Street North prior to observing another opportunity.

"There was a market gap," Mr Singh said.

"There was no authentic Greek food here in Ballarat."

Therefore, in the midst of a global pandemic, the couple made a move.

"(In 2020), we decided to do something big so we decided to open a (Greek) restaurant," Mr Singh said.

"We opened on May 22 and on May 26, there was lockdown."

Mr Singh and Ms Kaur were not perturbed and continued to fight the good fight.

Upon reopening, the business has thrived.

"There were a lot of people who were keen and curious about Greek food," Mr Singh said.

"People started coming back.

"We are thankful for the community."

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