Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, today opens a new food rescue hub in Kunda Park on the Sunshine Coast to keep pace with soaring demand for food relief across the region.
OzHarvest has a new Sunshine Coast and Gympie hub. IMAGE: supplied
OzHarvest rescues quality surplus food from farmers, supermarkets, markets and other organisations, sorts the food in a warehouse and delivers it to forty local charities feeding people in need.
The charity is expanding its operations due to rising rates of food insecurity. OzHarvest says 70 per cent of Queensland charities are reporting increased demand for food relief, two-thirds saying they need more food to keep up and 36 per cent of people seeking support for the first time.
Queensland State Manager, Michaela Windsor, said ‘We see the challenges of community hardship and people going without food every day and we’re working hard to address the ongoing need and support our charity network on the frontline.’
‘There are still so many families in Queensland experiencing food insecurity, particularly in the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions. Our new hub will unlock greater capacity to rescue more food, reach more charities and get help to more people, faster.’
Warehouse crew and food boxes at OzHarvest’s new Kunda Park hub. IMAGE supplied by OzHarvest
Ms Windsor said OzHarvest’s new 1096 square metre hub was larger than their former premises at Coolum and more strategically positioned to provide direct access to the region’s key food corridors and closer to food donors and local charities such as neighbourhood centres, DV shelters and schools.
‘Being on an arterial road means we are closer to food manufacturers and wholesalers already driving past so it’s easier for them to drop off their surplus to us, whether it’s a box or a pallet of food: it’s all welcome.’
Large and small food donations are welcome at OzHarvest. IMAGE: supplied
Ms Windsor said it was important to get the message across that OzHarvest did not supply food to individuals, but to charities.
Sunshine Coast charity, Urban Angels is one of the 317 charities receiving food support from OzHarvest.
Unit Manager, Birgit Sowden, said donated food from OzHarvest helped Urban Angels deliver up to 15,000 meals every month across the Sunshine Coast, from Gympie to Caboolture.
IMAGE suppplied by Urban Angels
‘We simply couldn’t do that without this partnership,’ Ms Sowden said.
Healthy meals prepared by Urban Angels. IMAGE: supplied
In Gympie, Oz Harvest supplies food to Vinnies Gympie. Gympie West State School, Gympie State High School and Gympie Flexible Learning Centre.
OzHarvest said National Food Rescue Partner, Woolworths was integral to food rescue operations across the region.
Woolworths General Manager Social Impact, Adam Bray, was on-site for the new hub opening today and said Woolies was proud to support the opening of the new warehouse.
‘It’s an incredible milestone that complements the work our Queensland store teams put into our food rescue programs, Mr Bray said.
‘This hub really strengthens the tight-knit network of local charities collaborating across the region and we are incredibly grateful to play a part in supporting their work.’
From little things, big things grow
OzHarvest started when a small team of volunteers made their first food rescue run in August 2014, saving 24kg of fruit and veg and 60kg of bread from three donors and delivering to three local charities.
Since then, OzHarvest’s Sunshine Coast and Gympie chapter has grown into a vital part of the region’s food relief network and now collect an average of 27,000kg every month, from more than 50 donors.
What started as a purely volunteer-driven effort in personal cars has evolved into a mix of paid and volunteer drivers, running two vans (Dory and Nemo) and a truck (Ginger), supported by 50 regular volunteers.
OzHarvest is calling for more local volunteers: contact Sarah at Queensland.Volunteer@ozharvest.org.
For more information go to Oz Harvest Sunshine Coast or their facebook page.
PHOTO of Oz Harvest’s warehouse crew at top of story: supplied by Oz Harvest
