Written by VANESSA VASTAG
One of Australia’s fastest growing charity organisations - Serving Our People - welcomes all to support, sip and graze while paying it forward at their newest cafe.
Yas Matbouly, founder of Serving Our People (SOP for short), and his team have opened the doors to the second of their charitable coffee shops called ‘Served’. Located at the Pacific Fair shopping centre, it’s the perfect place to put down your shopping bags and pick up some good feels - knowing that 100% of the organisation’s profits directly serve, not only great coffee, lite bites and fresh juices, but ‘the people of Australia in whatever capacity they need.’
Serving Our People also happens to be the first charity in QLD to ever offer a free supermarket for anyone in need. Named ‘The People’s Market’, there are now three storefronts; one located at the SOP headquarters at Mermaid Beach and two others in the Logan district - Kingston and Yarrabilba.
Originally established during the pandemic (out of Yas’s own garage) to help thousands of vulnerable people in quarantine and isolation, SOP have since handed out over 19,000 meals and 1000 bags of groceries per year and positively impacted over 55,000 people in communities throughout South-East Queensland. And those numbers continue to increase with Yas nurturing a growing team of 2,100 members and volunteers. “Essentially we are just like-minded individuals getting together and helping the community through acts of service” says Yas.
While the SOP mission is to be ‘agents of change’ - by providing complimentary logistics, mental health support, delivery and emergency relief for anyone in need, anytime, across Brisbane, Logan, Gold Coast and the Northern Rivers region - the charity is able to connect and serve the community through its funding; 98% of which comes from philanthropists and corporate sponsors.
Yas, from a corporate background himself, found it was his world travels and being exposed to different standards of life and significant levels of poverty across cultures, that made him see “the depth of Australia’s unmet needs”. “It was a shock” he says, “to realise how many people are at risk in our own backyard”. This realisation was one of the catalysts for creating SOP, but there was another reason also close to Yas’s heart, “When my daughter was born, I realised I wanted to be the best man I could possibly be. To show her the benefits of being kind and that it’s not all about materialism.”
How can we support Yas and his team on their mission? It’s as easy as popping by Cafe Served and ordering a coffee.
Open Mon-Sat, 6 Seaview Ave, Mermaid Beach and open 7 days at Pacific Fair (next to H&M)
HELP IN ACTION
You can now hydrate while you donate, with the cafes now offering their own official brand of ‘SERVED’ bottled water, as well as wholesale options for businesses who wish to support the organisation.
If you wish to donate or become involved as a partner or volunteer go to - sop.org.au Follow - @cafeserved / @servingourpeople9
Serving Our People HQ - 2582-2584 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach (entrance on 4-6 Seaview Avenue)
If you or anyone you know are in need, phone the helpline on - 0476 776 707