We Got Your Back

“I don’t want to let the kids down.” Two men in quiet conversation at Addi Road’s Wednesday Night Lights. It’s early, we don’t kick off till 6pm but people are already here lining up for a free hot meal before they get a chance to sit down, feel human, relax and enjoy the company of many others. Maybe a good hundred most weeks, sometimes quite a few more. Tonight looks like a big one. Wraparound services such as Street Side Medics, Orange Sky Australia and 4 Voices set up in a curved wagon-train around the tables, offering free medical help, free laundry and women-in-crisis support among other appreciated moments in the night. The man who worried about his kids turns to face another in the line; his friend puts a hand on his shoulder: “You’re doing good, man. You’re gonna be alright. You got a good heart. It will all work out. Don’t you worry. Let’s eat. You can take something extra home. They’ll be with you tomorrow.”