A Good Deed in a Naughty World

by Stephen Lacey

Source: Sunday Life (The Sun Herald), July 21, 2002

Feeding the Homeless

"Most people today are just one pay packet away from being on the dole"
ON A CHILLY AUTUMN NIGHT a big white van turns into a driveway beside Cook and Phillip Park near Sydney's CBD. Within seconds of pulling up, the first of up to 500 homeless people queues for a feed. It's a miracle that's carried out every night of the year, thanks to the vision and dedication of Jeff Gambin and his volunteers.

Gambin, 54, is the founder of Just Enough Faith, a charity dedicated to feeding the homeless. The name derives from the concept of "faith in oneself" rather than any religious connotations. Each night Gambin and his team of volunteers cook up more than 300kg of food in a commercial kitchen.

In 1952, Gambin escaped his Tibetan homeland after the Chinese invasion and settled in India, where he lived on his father's tea plantation before coming to Australia at 19. After working as a pilot, he owned restaurants in Perth and, later, in Sydney.

The evening that changed Gambin's life was in 1993. He sat down in Martin Place to contemplate a partnership in a nightclub business that was turning sour. An elderly homeless man approached him and offered a blanket for warmth. "This man assumed I was homeless," Gambin says. "And here he was, giving me the only thing he owned. I was very touched."

Gambin spent the following couple of weeks on the streets, living as a homeless person to see what services were already in place. What he discovered shocked him.

"The lack of compassion shown by the people who run the shelters was absolutely obnoxious ... the way they treated the homeless, the way they spoke to them. I went to a certain well-known organisation, requesting a shower and a razor. They wouldn't help me unless I went to the unemployment office and got a note to say I would receive a benefit, so that they would receive the cheque," he says.

Not only do Gambin and wife Alina feed the homeless, they also assist in arranging housing and drug councelling, and securing education and employment opportunities. Just Enough Faith relies on donations and Gambin's private assets, which he has been selling off over the past nine years.

"I'll tell you why I do it. Ask most people how many true friends do they have and they would be lucky to hold up one hand. Myself, if I was a millipede, and each of my little legs had fingers and toes, there would still not be enough to hold up. I'm a blessed person. All those 30 years I spent in business didn't give me the satisfaction I get out of one moment doing what I'm doing now.

"Almost everyone on a reasonable income is chasing an even bigger one. They become self-centred, and in doing so tend to forget the reality of actual life around them. I spent 30 years accumulating; hopefully I'll spend the next 30 years giving it back."

Greg and Paul, both in their early 40s, have been living on the streets on and off since they were teenagers. "We get a feed here every night," says Greg. Paul nods. "It's great tucker. Jeff's a top bloke for doing what he does. Nobody else seems to care anymore."