On any given day, Our Big Kitchen in the Sydney suburb of Bondi is bustling with an assembly line of chefs.
The community-run project churns out dozens of meals each day for the homeless, women's refuges and others in need.
It is the brainchild of Brooklyn-born rabbi Dr Dovid Slavin and his wife Laya.
The kitchen operates with the help of almost 1,000 volunteers. Source: SBS
Ms Slavin says the kitchen's team of nearly 1,000 volunteers are always ready to help.
"Whenever there is a crisis the kitchen will be called upon to work around the clock. We will be told by the SES, the ambulance service, what food needs to go out and where it has to go to," she tells SBS News.
The kitchen opened its doors in 2005. The idea stemmed from the couple's belief that everyone should have the right to a good meal.
In order to cater to the masses, they needed a large industrial kitchen and building it was expected to be both a lengthy and expensive task. But remarkably, the locals came to their rescue.
"For the construction, we had a heavy representation from the Australian Greek community, Australian Lebanese community [and] the Jewish community as well," Rabbi Slavin says.
The construction was swift and came at no cost, thanks to various communities uniting to help. Source: SBS
Solidarity is now the theme of the kitchen.
The rabbi says it has become a melting pot of diversity, made up of international students and local migrant communities.
"Here in the kitchen is really a microcosm of what we hope Australia can be, which is where people from all walks of life come in," he says.
"We will encourage people who otherwise would not normally meet in the course of their business lives. Jewish and Muslim kids, Indian and Pakistani kids, and bring them together, almost prove to them that we can all share and join together for a greater good."
Labour of love
Last year, the kitchen distributed almost 80,000 meals to those in need.
Rabbi Slavin says giving back to the community is just as rewarding as the friendships made in the process.
"While the meals are being made, there's such incredible connections that happen with people around food ... Cooking food is an incredible journey in it's own right, sharing a meal is another and both of those happen in and around the kitchen."
Rabbi Dr Dovid Slavin and wife Laya kitchen in 2005. Source: Supplied
Ms Slavin says the project unites communities.
"We had a beautiful group of Jewish and Muslim women, one in their singlets and the Muslim women in the burquas, and at the end of the day they just gave each other a hug and said 'you're just like me'."
"And what did they talk about? ... Getting the kids off to school and not wanting to do homework."
Migrants giving back
Volunteering Australia chief executive Adrienne Picone says one million of Australia's volunteers were born overseas
"When people come to Australia, once they're are settled in, they really want to give back and make a difference," she told SBS.
That's the case for Bangladeshi migrant Sharmin Hossain.
For the past decade, she has dedicated her time to the NSW SES.
Sharmin Hossain has been volunteering with the SES for the past decade. Source: SBS
The reason she got involved, she says, is because of the frequent and severe weather events that occur in her homeland.
"We have natural disasters almost annually, and, having grown up with that and seeing the amount of devastation and amount of lives [lost] every year, I've always been able to relate to people impacted by natural disasters."
It's a courageous undertaking for most, but for Ms Hossain, who has lost close family members in natural disasters in her homeland, it's especially brave.
"I think going out in natural disasters, storms, floods, I feel like I am confronting my fears that I've had growing up."
While Ms Sharmin thanks the SES for helping her overcome her fears, this week is about saying thank you to volunteers like her.
