In January, horrifying bushfires razed entire towns in some of the Southeast Australian state’s most popular tourist destinations. Chris Mansour, owner of OneWay Lebanese Bakery in Melbourne, leapt into action to help those impacted. Mansour came to Australia in 2006 as a war refugee from the conflict in Lebanon. He experienced firsthand how important compassion and care can be during moments of crisis.
Mansour’s bakery quickly turned into a shelter for tired evacuees and SES volunteers, looking for food and a warm place to sleep. Having to abandon his homeland at a moment’s notice traumatized him. It influenced his worldview about the importance of community and compassion. Fueled by his own lived experiences, he took to social media. His message included a welcoming statement that anyone who needed shelter should come by for warmth, food, and community.
I know I’ll never forget the feeling of comfort in knowing that someone out there truly cares. Mansour said, drawing from his own experiences. His message resonated widely, receiving over 2.2 million views along with numerous emails, calls, and messages expressing gratitude.
Even while so much around him crumbled into chaos and destruction, Mansour’s initiative became a bright spot in the despairing landscape. He allowed up to 50 people to find shelter at his bakery and provided them with “free food, free drinks, phone charging, and a cool space to wait it out.” Their selfless act of giving provided much-needed assistance to the victims of the fires. It sent a powerful message about community spirit at a time when dialogues on migration have become increasingly divisive.
Mansour’s trip to Australia was full of risk and hardship. He and his family emigrated from Lebanon with no means—“no wallet, not 10 bucks—not even.” He recalled the kindness shown to them by Australian authorities during their evacuation, stating, “I’m indebted to Australia because back in 2006 I was in the same position as the people that are evacuating the fires now.”
Although such positive reactions are common in response to Mansour’s offers of help, he was still surprised by the deluge of support. “It was extremely overwhelming. I didn’t expect any of this to happen,” he admitted. So it was that, in a short time, his bakery became a center of refuge for the needy and hurting.
While on the battlefront, Jason Heffernan, one of the officials overseeing the firefighting efforts, spoke to just how bad things have gotten. “We were exceeding, in some parts of the state, the threshold that we saw on Black Saturday,” he said. He continued to remind us, though, that with all the damage communities have sustained, it’s incredible that we haven’t seen even more destruction.
Mansour’s relationship with Australia is deeply personal. “Australia is the mother that raised me but didn’t give birth to me,” he reflected. He feels that his history drives him to make sure nobody else feels all alone when they’re facing hard times.
Mansour empathized with those affected by the fires, saying, “I know what you’re going through is very hard. All you need to know is things will get better and they always do… there are people that care about you and everything’s going to be okay.”
