OzHarvest

Look at all these beaming faces! Our annual OzHarvest "Day in a Van" is one of our favourite days in the calendar. Teams from all over the country—from finance to operations and everything in between—hit the road with our drivers to rescue good food and deliver it to those in need. We always ask everyone to snap a selfie and share a special moment from the day. This year, the stories—both heartbreaking and heartwarming, from all demographics you can think of—came flooding in. Knowing how tough it is for people right now, the day felt particularly special this year. A huge thank you to our incredible drivers who do this very important work every day, nourishing hearts and bellies in our communities. 🚐✨

Today, we celebrate reaching a monumental milestone: 50 million meals in Queensland! Our incredible team work tirelessly as demand in the region continues to grow, delivering over 62,000 kilograms of food each week to more than 335 charities across Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast. "This achievement is a testament to the power of community collaboration and commitment. We’re thrilled to have rescued our milestone meal from our national partner Woolworths Supermarkets—who generously supplies more than half of our rescued food in Queensland—and deliver it to our friends at Northside Connect,” Michaela Windsor, OzHarvest QLD State Manager. https://lnkd.in/ge5BJrv3

The response to the launch of our free supermarket in Adelaide last week has been overwhelming, with many people asking about other locations across the country. For many years OzHarvest market in Waterloo Sydney has been a vibrant hub open six days a week, welcoming more than 500 customers daily, who walk through our yellow doors to gather a week's worth of fresh fruit, vegetables, pantry staples, and cooked meals—all of which have been rescued. Time and time again, we hear that OzHarvest market is a lifeline for those doing it tough. It's not just about food; it’s also about building community—a place where people can come each week to find support and connection. Here is a short clip produced by our friends at Vidzero, who beautifully captured our story and the essence of what our free supermarket model is all about. https://lnkd.in/gEe_ts8c

Want to be part of unlocking 100 million meals? Make a submission using this template today!   YOU have a unique chance to help shape legislation that could unlock much-needed nutritious food for food relief and support those experiencing food insecurity. If passed, this bill would reduce food waste AND help those doing it tough. OzHarvest stand alongside Foodbank and Secondbite asking for crucial amendments to this bill, making it easier for farmers, food businesses, and transport/logistics companies to donate surplus food to charities like ours. Submissions from companies, organisations and individuals are being accepted until Tuesday, 20 August. Your voice can make a difference, join us in supporting policy changes that will help those in need. Foodbank has made it easy with a submission template – follow the link below. Learn more and have your say here: https://lnkd.in/gGiDKpYU   Foodbank Australia SecondBite Dean Smith

OzHarvest has launched Adelaide's first free supermarket! Replicating our successful model in Sydney, the concept is simple: OzHarvest rescues surplus food from local supermarkets and food businesses to keep the shelves stocked, so that those in need have access to nutritious food—completely free of charge, no questions asked.   With so many people needing help for the first time and often unsure where to go, the response has been overwhelming. Over 560 guests—from all demographics imaginable—have come through our doors this past week, largely thanks to incredible reporters like Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)'s Olivia Mason (featured below) who helped us spread the message to all corners of Adelaide. The smiles and heartfelt thanks from guests walking through and collecting their week’s worth of groceries—fresh produce, pantry staples, and cooked meals—truly fill our cups.   A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring Adelaide Market to life, including longstanding supporters and generous philanthropists Richard Collins AM and Joanna Collins AM, and our friends Woolworths Group and Higgins Coatings Watch: https://lnkd.in/gMEAeAFD

We're thrilled to welcome Insignia Community Foundation to the OzHarvest family!   Our relationship with Insignia Financial began in 2022 when they first approached us for a Cooking for a Cause event. Since then, hundreds of Insignia employees have experienced the magic of the yellow aprons across the country. Today, we are excited to welcome Insignia to the OzHarvest family as an Awesome Partner, supporting our wonderful Nourish Program, an 18-week hospitality training program provided free of charge for young people facing barriers to education and employment. With your support, we can get more students in the door, graduating with a nationally recognised Certificate II in Cookery, new life skills, and opportunities for work or further education.   Fiona Madigan from the Insignia Community Foundation says, "It's fantastic seeing the Nourish Program providing many young people with the opportunity to follow their dreams towards employment or further education in the hospitality industry. The Insignia Community Foundation can truly picture what lies ahead for the graduates with new skills, opportunities and the belief to achieve great things."

A huge thank you to the Herrmann Asia team for proudly supporting and training our executive team! The interactive and hands on session took 11 OzHarvest leaders through the Whole Brain® Thinking Methodology which is all about unlocking diversity of thinking for better communications and decision making. We’ve already actioned changes based on this work to improve efficiencies in executive meetings and we’re excited to bring these benefits across the organisation to 100 team members to collaborate and generate even more social impact. Thank you, Herrmann Asia!

At OzHarvest we love saying thank you, and this post is dedicated to our wonderful partners whose shared passion and financial support keep our wheels turning, making an incredible difference and helping to ‘Nourish our Country’.   We cherish every single partner, each bringing their own unique way of connecting to our cause and making a tangible difference to the people we serve and planet we protect. If you’d like to know more about joining the OzHarvest family, start by heading to our website to find out more: https://lnkd.in/gDgP8aJT   A huge thank you to: Goodman, Woolworths Group, Suncorp Bank, bp, Gastronomy Group, Adelaide Oval, AGL, Aon, BioPak, Budget Direct, HOYTS Group, IHG Hotels & Resorts, IMC Trading, Insignia Community Foundation, IVECO, JCDecaux, Lendlease, McCormick & Company, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, OXO, Pinnacle People Australia, Scully RSV, Telethon7, Thermomix in Australia, Vittoria Food & Beverage.

Collective voices call out the Victorian Government, 48 frontline charities demand systemic action on food security! OzHarvest has submitted an open letter to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Food Security, supported by 47 charity partners that collectively feed over 62,000 Victorians every month. The problem of food insecurity is immense and growing - addressing it requires systemic changes, it cannot be solved with more food relief alone. Collectively, we are calling on the Victorian Government to address food insecurity at its core by: 1. Reducing poverty and inequality  2. Improving housing and access  3. Ensuring food is affordable While funding for food relief will always be necessary to maintain an essential service for those experiencing food insecurity, more must be done. OzHarvest is committed to ensuring that food reaches those in need, but we need government support to address the root causes of this issue – it’s time for meaningful change. #SDG2 #endhunger #foodsecurity #charity   Parliament of Victoria, Trung Luu, Ryan Batchelor MP Countrywide Community Missions Victoria Inc, CROSSWAY LIFECARE LTD, Hester Hornbrook Academy, Laverton Community Centre, Melbourne City Mission (MCM), Mind Australia, North Richmond Community Health, Nourishing Neighbours, Open Table, Southern Peninsula Community Support Inc, St Vincent de Paul Society Australia, Uniting, Uniting Vic.Tas,

Our incredible partner, OXO Australia have been helping us 'Nourish our Country' for four years! From supporting our food rescue operations to helping us deliver the FEAST program to more primary and high school students across the country, OXO support us in so many ways and we couldn't achieve the impact we do without them! Here's a snapshot of what we've achieved to date with OXO's support... ▪️Over 700,000 nourishing meals delivered to communities in need ▪️79 schools and 4,300 students have benefited from our FEAST program   ▪️50 free OXO sustainability kits for FEAST high schools ▪️ 2,000 Use it Up tapes distributed to the OXO community, helping Australian households fight food waste A big thank you to OXO for your ongoing commitment and support for our cause! We are so grateful.