Newington College

Year 11s serve up good cheer at Exodus Dessert Van

Year 11s serve up good cheer at Exodus Dessert Van

Our Senior Service Learning boys have almost completed their fourth term volunteering in the Exodus Foundation Dessert Van, a Friday night shift that sees representatives from each House accompanied by their parents serve dessert to up to 120 homeless clients in Woolloomooloo.

The Dessert Van runs in partnership with the Exodus Food Van that operates nightly in the area building on the boys’ experience preparing food for Exodus’ guests in the Loaves and Fishes Kitchen.

For the boys, working on the Dessert Van has both been an eye-opening and rewarding experience. Year 11 student Oliver Smith who has worked in the Loaves and Fishes kitchen said “I really enjoyed it as we got a different perspective of serving the homeless in the community, and we saw how the work we did in the kitchens actually made a difference on the streets of Sydney, improving the lives of many people on a daily basis.”

Likewise, the boys got a sense of what it means to make a difference.

“I learnt that serving people food and having a chat can really make someones day better. It shows the simple things in life are the most important, and a good conversation can really improve someone’s day” said Brennan Sortwell.

Fellow Year 11 boy Daniel Baykitch agrees saying he was amazed to see how many people were waiting for food, and how quickly they dispersed into the night afterwards.

Thank you to all the boys, parents and staff that have assisted with the Dessert Van and the driving to and from its base in Ashfield.