This March, people from across Australia will come together to host their own Feast for Freedom.
Host from home and invite your loved ones for a life-changing meal.
You'll get the recipe book with two Feast Menus, plus some favourites from previous years. You can mix and match the recipes, add your personal favourites or ask your guests to bring a plate to share.
Register as a Feast for Freedom Host today and start planning your Feast in support of refugees and people seeking asylum.
Four Easy Steps
1. Register to Become a Host
Simply register your event here and kickstart your fundraising with a self-donation to your personal fundraising page.
Feast Week is Monday 18 – Sunday 24 March, but you can host your Feast outside of these dates if that’s more convenient for you. However, all Feasts should be hosted before Tuesday 30 April.
2. Receive Your Host Kit & Meet our Cooks
Discover the recipes gifted to you by Harchana and Reveka, learn more about their stories and start planning your menu.
Our Hero Cooks, both refugees in Australia, have hand-selected delicious dishes from their own cultural traditions for you to cook and share with your guests. You’ll receive their recipes in your Host Kit. You can cook the full menu from one of our Hero Cooks or a mix of recipes, including some of your own family favourites or past Feast recipes.
3. Plan Your Feast & Start Fundraising
Invite your guests and start fundraising by updating and sharing your fundraising page! Make sure you let your donors know the impact of their support.
Please note: we do not provide any ingredients or organise cooks for the recipes. You will need to purchase your own ingredients based on your menu and anticipated guest numbers.
Don’t forget to finalise your guest list and event details, source your ingredients and continue fundraising. If you need help updating your fundraising webpage, see our User Guide.
You can also join our Facebook Group where you can ask questions about hosting a Feast, share recipes and become part of our ever-growing Feast community.
4. Host Your Feast for Freedom
It’s time to Feast for Freedom, celebrate what unites us and raise funds for people seeking asylum! This is a time to enjoy great food and company, whilst having thought-provoking conversations relating to the refugee issue.
Don’t forget to use our handy online resources and items in your Host Kit, including the conversation cards to keep the dialogue flowing and learn more about the refugee issue.
If you have any other questions about Hosting or Feasting, check out our FAQ page for more information.
Amanda, Hosted at Home
We hosted a buffet style lunch Feast because we wanted to try the amazing recipes, raise awareness and funds for the important work that ASRC does to help refugees and people seeking asylum.
During our feast we played a video from Kon that really helped to connect people to why we were all together and several people approached us afterwards because they were inspired to do more, particularly to help educate their kids on this issue. Most of the funds we raised came from suggesting an amount, much like what you’d pay at a restaurant, to attend our Feast.
It was so much fun picking our menu and we’re glad we hosted together so we could split up the cooking and the planning. Our suggestions would be to do a test run on some of the recipes before you host and to make less than you think, however it was a treat to have so many yummy leftovers to freeze and enjoy for weeks!
Lynh, Hosted at a Venue
The reason why hosting a Feast was particularly important to me is because my parents are refugees who fled Vietnam and came to Australia by boat.
We hosted a long lunch at a local venue that was happy to lend the space for a great cause. Although the Feast recipes were amazing, it made more sense for us to cook our family recipes, which are part of our history and culture.
We had about 30 people at the lunch and guests were able to try 8 different dishes - some they never have before, some were my family twist on Vietnamese favourites.
Our hot tip is to keep it simple (you can even cook a mix of the cooks’ recipes and ones you are already comfortable with) and - if you can - make it a ticketed event so that your fundraising is already well under way! It also doesn’t have to be limited to your home - we didn’t want to risk having an outdoor event and asked around the community. You never know who will offer up a space for a fundraiser!
