Not only for the autism and mental health charities that Dane was so keen to see benefit from his fundraising 4000km run from Perth to Pambula, but also for somewhere much closer to home.

Pambula-based social cafe Pearls Place is the latest beneficiary after volunteers received an unexpected delivery of food on Wednesday, October 11. 

Dane Waites gave Pearls Place five boxes of non-perishable food that had not been used in his Perth to Pambula run.

Dane’s mum Junee Waites said it was Dane’s idea that as the community had supplied the food in the first place, any extra should be returned to the community.

Junee spoke with The Reaching Out Foundation’s Ross Williams and it was suggested that Pearls Place was a suitable recipient.

“Dane said that he loved the idea,” Junee said. “The idea of sharing resonates with Dane.”

Pearls Place continues to go from strength to strength averaging well over 40 visitors for lunch at the Wednesday open cafe.

Pearls Place president  May Kerr said that recently they had gone up to 64 one lunch time, a record so far.

“We’re seeing a lot of new people and I think a lot of it is word of mouth,” Ms Kerr said.

“Probably three quarters of our clients are older people who are enjoying the social contact and a chance to chat.

“The volunteers used to go out and chat to everyone but now we see our visitors chatting between themselves more,” she said.

There’s been a new addition to what Pearls Place offers too after Ms Kerr contacted NSW Health for some help.

Now each week at 11.30am there is a gentle pre-lunch tai chi session which she said is being enjoyed by more and more people.

NSW Health helps by covering the tai chi event under its insurance, Ms Kerr explained.

It’s been a good week for Pearls Place because it was also the beneficiary of 5kg of burgers and 5kg of marinated chicken from Dulcie’s, which has just started giving its excess food to OzHarvest Sapphire Coast.