Kings Cross Food For Life Early News Clip Citahari Interview

A new soup kitchen opens in Sydney tonight, but it won't be serving soup, and the person behind the counter is likely to be wearing saffron robes. It'll be run by the Hari Krishna, and is needed because of the increasing demand for the free food already handed out by the organisation. The Hari Krishnas have been serving free food from their kitchens at King's Cross and Parramatta for years. The homeless and destitute who eat here are served with kitchari, a combination of dhal, rice and vegetables.

Up until recently, 100 people a night received the main part of their daily bread here. But the state government's decision to cut emergency payments to the needy has pushed that up to 160 a night. It seems to have directly come as a result of the government cutting back on welfare in other areas, so people, when they know they can get a meal, which they can at the Hare Krishnas, then they come along here. To cater for the increased demand, the Hare Krishnas have opened up this new dining room above their temple in Darlinghurst Road.

It seats up to 40 and will ease pressure on the kitchens downstairs. It costs about $3,000 a week to feed the people who come here and Chittahari says the government should start paying some of the bills. We feel that the time has come now, if we're taking up the surplus of people who aren't getting welfare, that the government should give us some money. But even if the government refuses to pay a penny, the Hare Krishnas will continue giving food and comfort to the needy here seven nights a week, 365 days of the year.