Fooda’s Post

We have a story in the latest issue of Neighbourhood Media detailing all the work we do via Addison Road Food Pantry Camperdown, our low-cost grocery store which makes use of rescued, donated and purchased food to support the local community and its needs. The story (link below) shows how we help feed people from Mission Australia's Common Ground housing project and the nearby Johanna O’Dea Court, a multi-storey NSW Family and Community Services apartment block. It also explains how we serve people living on a tight budget in Camperdown and Glebe, as well as people who come to the pantry from right across the City of Sydney LGA. Most of all, the story is a celebration of our monthly Addi Road 'Let's Get Cooking' sessions (AKA "the Cook-Up"), which offers 260 free hot meals for Mission Australia and Joanna O'Dea residents, as well as those shopping at our Addi Road Food Pantry Camperdown. These sessions involve a monthly cooking demo inside the Common Ground building. Food literacy is the ultimate goal behind Addi Road's Let's Get Cooking program. As well as simply providing a free hot meal (and dessert) each month, we look at helping people to shop AND cook with often very limited funds. Each month there are easy recipes on offer (and ready to be tasted) along extra tips for stocking people's kitchen cupboards; a list of essentials to facilitate simple, inexpensive and nutritious recipes that will match whatever Addi Road Food Pantry might have in stock. It's about building an integrated food ecology for people battling. With a few extra special ingredients over a shared meal as the community comes together: camaraderie and connection. + #Addiroad #cityofsydney #foodrelief #foodjustice #housing #inequality #Camperdown #Glebe #MissionAustralia #homeless #battling #costofliving #poverty #resilience #mentalhealth #wellbeing #nutrition #diet #charity #community #freemeals #cookingworkshop #volunteers #caring #education #connection #letsgetcooking #neighbourhoodmedia https://lnkd.in/gs7vVEvM

"The Black Panther Party made food central to their political action because food, and hunger, have always been political issues." At this time of year there are many calls for food donations - these can be useful but we must remember that food banks are a sticking plaster and not a solution. Read our piece on how food is political & the power of community meals.

Our very own Camesha Grant, PhD, VP of Community Impact at Food Bank For New York City, appeared on abc7NY to discuss the alarming statistic that 1 in 4 adults in New York are experiencing #foodinsecurity. In some parts of New York City, like the Bronx, it's even higher at 39%. Food Bank For New York City's mission is vital now more than ever as more of our NYC neighbors find themselves struggling to make ends meet. Watch the full clip to learn more about the current state of food insecurity in New York and how you can help empower our neighbors in need: https://lnkd.in/ezNXG5tg

Saturday, April 20, from 1:00 - 4:00 pm, is our day for an ALA-Oregon Chapter fun-filled social event full of camaraderie, bowling, and food! Register by April 10! Several of you participated in past events supporting the Sunshine Division, and we want to continue that support! We are hoping that you can bring one or more non-perishable food items for donation to the Sunshine Division as your entrance to this event—the more the better! This is an exciting opportunity to connect with your fellow members and business partner colleagues while we continue our support of a local community partner. Perhaps a bit of competitive bowling or competitive eating—who knows! Knowing that weekends are often family time, our event is open to your +1 and kids. The Grand Central Bowling venue should be a fun way to mix and mingle, enjoy some good food, enjoy bowling at your leisure, or take in a few arcade game activities. Space is limited so register at oregonala.org EARLY! Be sure to register yourself as well as any family members who will join. Please email Lori Hughes at lori.hughes@millernash.com with any questions. Let her know if you will be bringing any children so that we can plan the menu and arcade opportunities. Let’s kick off spring together, support our local community, and spend time with the best in our community -- you! Sunshine Division Food Donation Recommendations: "We rely heavily on food donations to make our mission possible. We are always looking for the following non-perishable items: canned meats, pasta, rice, cereal, soup/broth, peanut butter, canned/dried beans, canned fruit, canned vegetables, cooking oil and shelf-stable milk.    To ensure food safety we cannot use: Noncommercial or repackaged items, perishable items, open or used items, alcoholic beverages, damaged or unlabeled cans, homemade items." #networking #ALABuzz #LegalManagment #FoodDonation

The British philosopher John Gray wrote, “We are who we are because of the places in which we grow up, the accents and friends we acquire by chance, the burdens we have not chosen but somehow learn to cope with. Real communities are always local-places in which people have put down roots and are willing to put up with the burdens of living together..." Places, roots, accents, friends, loyalties, caring, burdens & responsibilities. An authentic & organic community is held together by a set of first principles or virtues and values just like a built structure is supported by a firm foundation, by brick and mortar, stone & concrete, by sets of columns & beams etc. In the case of the physical structure, remove the supports and the structure will come tumbling down, collapsing under its own weight into a pile of rubble. The same is true of organic communities which are also like structures, built with effort, care, love and compassion over long spans of time, held in place by the firm supports of human values and the glue of human relationships. Without love, caring and compassion, without commitment, without the willingness to shoulder duties & responsibilities, local communities cannot survive, cannot thrive. Keep up the good work.

Your support for students at DU goes directly to providing food for students experiencing food insecurity. See the link below for a quick way to give.

"Public diners are a place to grab a meal after a 10-hour shift. A place to eat when you’ve run out of ideas for what to cook tonight. A place to go for a meal between classes." Enjoyed reading this thought-provoking new report by Nourish Scotland calling for a new generation of public diners to be created. It's a throwback to the British Restaurants established during the Second World War, which numbered over 2,000 at their peak some of which survived as civic restaurants right up until the 1970s. These are not charities but state-supported, community assets serving healthy, tasty, affordable meals to the general public. They are designed for everybody – not just those struggling to make ends meet – rather than being targeted at a particular demographic of customer like many private restaurants. They are also places where customers can influence the running of the restaurant, for example through climate-friendly menu design or sourcing from local, agroecological producers; places “where people are not food consumers – they are food citizens.” It feels like a stretch to imagine public funding will be forthcoming for such a venture given Labour's grim acceptance of fiscal constraints. I wonder too how private restaurants and caterers would respond given the pressures they themselves are facing? Would they see public diners as a threat or a complementary part of the eating out of home landscape (since eating there would not be considered a 'treat' as such)? Either way, I feel Nourish Scotland makes a strong argument that their time has come given the perfect storm of food insecurity, diet-related ill health and climate breakdown we are facing. It also feels like community eating is having a moment with the success of The Long Table restaurant and the scaling up of the CanTeam initiative in schools as pioneered by Jonathan Harper FRSA Future Foundations. https://lnkd.in/ewJxMxtm

Your organization can make a meaningful difference today fighting hunger in our community. You may have seen The Ottawa Mission's food trucks in neighborhoods like Westboro, Carlington, and Little Italy, bringing vital support far beyond our downtown shelter. These trucks aren’t just about meals—they’re about hope. With grocery prices soaring by 22% and rent increasing 20% since 2020, many people in our city are being forced to make the impossible choice between shelter and food. The Ottawa Mission’s food truck program is helping to ease that burden, serving thousands of meals weekly in 38 underserved communities across Ottawa. One grateful food truck client shared, “The price of everything is going up. I’m 70 and retired...I need these meals to get by.” Your support today can directly impact the neighborhoods where your employees and clients live, work, and thrive. By partnering with The Ottawa Mission, you’re not just providing meals—you’re investing in the well-being of our community. Learn more about how your organization can get involved. Together, we can nourish our city. #CorporateResponsibility #OttawaCommunity #SupportLocal #TheOttawaMission #MoreThanAShelter

I've summarised the key findings of the report on public diners in today's Footprint article. https://lnkd.in/eybUapis

Knowing your customer is key to the success of any business but also of any non profit. In a time when food security is a hot topic I think it's incredibly important to know who ( and who is not) our customers are so we can serve them well! We are a non profit grocery store designed to meet the needs of families / single moms who are struggling with a short term financial challenge. Till now these folks have been falling through the cracks because they can't afford a retail grocery store and they do not want the hand out via an emergency food service. Don't get me wrong, emergency food handouts are very needed in our communities, however not everyone wants to go that route nor should that be the only option! When a crisis hits many parents desperately want to feed their own children, they just need to be able to afford it. Just because you lose your job or experience another crisis does not mean you are ready to throw in the towel and resort to accepting a hand out. Those are our people!! They find more than affordable food at one of our Markits. Our customers experience dignity, choice and convenience. We can meet their needs well because we know our customers well! Not sure about you but I think that is how we build a strong community. Helping those who just need a hand up so they don't fall any further. www.gatheringmarkit.com #knowyourcustomer #abbotsfordbc #dignity #foodsecurity #nonprofitleadership