Meals on the Brothers In Need Wheels

Brothers in Need is one of our fantastic community organisations that has served the Muslim community and specifically the homeless community in Australia for the past 8 years.

At Crescent Foundation, we’ve had the pleasure of supporting their work by joining some of their meals and goods distribution drives at Martin Place and also building together the Crescent Care packs – an essential sanitary pack that’s distributed as part of our collective homeless drives.

The beautiful feature of Brothers In Need as a community based charity is how they connect and build rapport not just with the homeless but many other segments of the community who find meaning and purpose in their lives by supporting the amazing work of the charity. Join us in supporting them. Link below:

Tell us a little about yourself and why you do what you do?

My name is Dean Mousad and I’m 32, born in Australia with Egyptian roots. In my younger years, I was working in Martin Place, Sydney at the Reserve Bank of Australia. There  I became more aware of the gap between the high-flyers entering buildings, and the homeless trying to stay warm just next to the rotating doors. It was around this time that the Lindt Siege happened and just as I had been guilty of unfairly judging all homeless people as the same and inflicted by substance abuse, I was experiencing the same type of stereotyping – being judged simply because I was a Muslim. I wanted to serve the homeless and I wanted to demonstrate that stereotypes are wrong. Brothers in Need began providing free meals to the homeless in Martin Place once a fortnight which quickly changed to once a week. Shortly after we added Monday night dinners in Parramatta, expanded into Brisbane and now we are out on the streets providing meals to those in need 6 days a week across NSW and QLD.

Now we are 500 volunteers and counting in NSW & QLD. They are a source of inspiration for me to keep excelling in our humanitarian efforts while demonstrating what it means to be family for Australia’s forgotten.

What is the cause you are raising funding for today?

We serve and create family amongst those Australia has forgotten.

Building on our concerted homeless program, over recent years you’ll see our team running Elderly Support Programs, Respite Programs, Visiting the Sick, Youth Programs, and on the ground for crisis support for COVID, Afghanistan, Bushfires, Drought. Ultimately we serve those in Australia who have been forgotten.

While we can’t fix all the world’s problems ourselves, we can make a difference by donating to a charitable organisation.

Why does raising funds for this matter to you and the organisation you are supporting?

Raining funds for Brothers in Need is important as the work we do is purely to support the local community who tend to be overlooked by global catastrophises

So many people around Australia are struggling right now. From the homeless population, to the sick and elderly, to those who have been affected by floods, bushfires and drought – not to mention the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How will the funds you raise measurably impact lives?

The funds raised will help us support the youth, the elderly, individuals with different abilities, members of the homeless communities, refugees and the disadvantaged.

We are locally focused, Muslim value inspired, well governed, compliant and transparent. Our regular reports, news stories, and social media show clearly the impact we are making on the ground.

What’s distinct about the organisation’s work?

Our organisation is known to care for people with compassion, and action rather than talk, has been the driver of our growth.

We are Family for Australia’s forgotten, and the broader mainstream media has been taking notes.

The growth of our huge volunteer base is a testament to this, made of men and women from all walks of life. In that respect we are incredibly hands on in everything we do.

Our name Brothers in Need, speaks to the fact that when we first started our initiatives, it was indeed ourselves who were in need of redemption and self-respect with the aim of making the world a better place. And through giving, through love, and through action, we could achieve that. That is the DNA of our charity, it is the spirit of everything we do, and is why so many individuals have been drawn to our movement.

Why should we support this cause as opposed to all the other important causes that the world is suffering from now?

Our programs continue to make a demonstrable impact on the lives they touch everyday.

With all that’s going on in the world at the moment – both here in Australia and abroad – we urgently need your support to provide care, food, shelter and more. Whether it’s a one-off donation or a re-occurring contribution to Brothers In Need, every little bit counts.

Thank you so much for your generosity and for following along on our journey. We will still be out and about on the streets doing what we need to in order to look after our incredible community.