To Nory, being conscientious about everything is important. Not only does she
cook and prepare incredible meals, but she also seeks to give our whanau
something different. “I like talking to them, I want to know what they enjoy eating
and what isn’t so popular, what makes them angry or happy, what food they
enjoy.”

Because of her care and attention for the whanau that visit the Compassion Soup
Kitchen she’s simply become known as ‘mum’. “They respect this place a lot. They
love this place and feel it’s like a family,” says Nory.

“We give them what they need: love, food, and we make them forget their
troubles for an hour. Compassion Soup Kitchen is a home not only for those who
come to eat, but also for the volunteers, for those of us who work here, and for the
people who come to donate,” says Nory.

She believes that the key is to treat the whanau with respect, as human beings and
as individuals. She understands this deeply because she received help and love at
a crucial moment in her life, which was essential for her to move forward after
arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“When I came here, I arrived at a refugee house and immediately felt at home.
They gave me what I needed: love and protection. I felt a lot of warmth at that
moment, and now I’m giving people what they gave me in the past.”

For Nory, work at the Compassion Soup Kitchen is a good way to give back by
helping and giving love. “The whanau are humans, and just as I suffered loss when
I left my family and country, perhaps they too have suffered the loss of something
that’s why I want them to feel