OzHarvest

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.

The movers and shakers of Aussie food waste gathered in Melbourne this week for the National Food Waste Summit. There were lots of great conversations and it showed a high level of collaboration across the sector led by the team at End Food Waste Australia. With six years to go to achieve the national goal of halving food waste by 2030, there is much work to be done and plenty of passionate people already making great strides. The Summit covered all areas of the supply chain, with panels of experts, innovators, industry, academics, government, councils and ABC’s Costa Georgiadis made a wonderful MC!   Thanks to Craig Reucassel for plugging the good work of the food relief sector, plus OzHarvest Use It Up tape and FEAST program for schools as things that work! Dr Mark Boulet of BehaviourWorks Australia reinforced the power of behavioural consumer research to create good campaigns, and Toine Timmermans shared the success of the Dutch version of Use It Up tape and the Netherlands progress towards halving their national food waste.   Food waste is a global and national problem. Australia has the chance to be a leader in this space, but we need to work faster and harder to meet our goal. Collective action is the only way and will take everyone.   #UNSDG12.3 #halvingfoodwaste #fightfoodwaste #environment Steve Lapidge Mandy Hall Amanda Kane Sam Oakden

We're Hiring! ✨ We’re on the hunt for two magnificent humans who care about people and planet to join our incredible Impact Team.. 💛 Media & Communications Coordinator.    Are you a vibrant and dynamic digital storyteller looking to make a meaningful impact through your content? This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with the amazing people of OzHarvest, collecting, curating and communicating the impact that we make.   💛 Philanthropy Manager. Are you passionate about making a significant impact through philanthropy? This is an exciting opportunity for someone dedicated to driving our Major Gift Program and Gift in Wills (GIW) Program to new heights, developing and executing OzHarvest's Major Gift and GIW strategies. To learn more about the roles and apply, visit: www.ozharvest.org/careers/

Our new OzHarvest yellow kitchen in Brisbane is officially open!    After damaging storms late last year, we're so grateful to have found our dream space in Bowen Hills with the support of our partner, Suncorp Bank. With demand for food relief at an all-time high, our new kitchen will enable us to cook over 50,000 meals made with love to help feed local communities in need.   Our wonderful partners, Suncorp Bank were first to try out the new kitchen. The team joined our amazing chefs creating over 100 delicious meals of lentil & carrot fatayers and Mexican chilli at our Cooking for a Cause program.     The Salvation Army in Spring Hill received the meals and Paul Maunder from Salvo's expressed, "People come to us when they're facing difficulties. Sometimes they just want a place where someone knows their name. We serve over 600 meals a week. We couldn't do it without OzHarvest."   A heartfelt thank you to Suncorp Bank for increasing our impact and helping to ‘Nourish our Country’   For corporate teams looking to make a difference, you can book Cooking for a Cause (up to 20 pax) in the lovely new Bowen Hills kitchen! Get in touch via email: [email protected]

On Monday we hosted a very special guest at the OzHarvest Waterloo Market and Refettorio OzHarvest - Her Excellency, The Governor General of Australia, Sam Mostyn! Her Excellency’s commitment to care, compassion, and kindness is evident in everything she does. By both her words and deeds it is clear that she role models these values. We were hugely honoured that within just a couple weeks of her swearing in as The Governor General she visited OzHarvest to highlight the work we do and most importantly shine a spotlight on the challenges being faced by so many due to the current cost of living crisis. Spending time to chat and hear stories directly from market customers, staff, and volunteers allowed the Governor General to better understand the struggles so many are experiencing. We also learned today that she loves taking selfies! At the Refettorio, Her Excellency donned an OzHarvest apron where she joined a NEST session and helped prepare a delicious and budget friendly meal. There was more listening, learning, meal sharing, and of course - more selfies! Why not! 💛

Have you noticed splashes of OzHarvest yellow in your local shopping centre lately? 👀 We're fighting household food waste across the nation and thanks to Cartology - Part of the Woolworths Group, we're getting more Use It Up Tape™ tapes in front of shoppers and into their households, helping them save food, money and the planet. The bright yellow showcases feature in 24 premium shopping destinations across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart. Be sure to keep an eye out!

Meet our incredible Illawarra Food Rescue Coordinator and Driver, Saxon 💛 Wearing an OzHarvest staff tee for a little over four years now, Saxon is a driving force (literally!) in the organisation, on the road every week, rescuing good food from landfil and delivering it to local charities in need. For Saxon, one of the best parts of his job is how it connects him to the local community. "It puts a smile on my face every time I see and hear what my local charities will use the food I've rescued for and who it's going to". We asked Saxon if there is a story from being on the road that sticks out to him most and he shared a time he rescued a large volume of red meat that had been labelled wrong... "The meat was perfect but the store couldn't sell it. I dropped half off to a charity that cook hot lunches. I dropped in there the next day and helped served a few meals of beef curry. The room was full of happy people enjoying a meal. Seeing the meat in a meal that I rescued and people in the community eating it made my day."

Thank you to the Green Nudges team for amplifying our household food waste research in collaboration with Dr. Mark Boulet at BehaviourWorks Australia, showcasing the Use It Up Tape™ as a powerful visual prompt, effectively nudging households towards impactful behaviour change. Recently, we partnered with The Netherlands Nutrition Centre to adapt the tape locally, known as ‘Eerst Op Tape’, which was distributed to 40,000 Dutch households. For those interested in integrating the Use It Up behaviour in your own country, please get in touch at [email protected].

Congratulations to our wonderful Nourish students who have officially graduated with a Certificate II in Cookery! 💛 After 18 weeks of hard work and dedication, 24 incredible Nourish students across Sydney, Newcastle and Adelaide have graduated with newfound life skills, meaningful connections, and opportunities for further education and work! The Nourish graduation ceremony is undoubtedly one of the best days of the year at OzHarvest as we celebrate the incredible achievements of each and every student. There wasn't a dry eye in the Sydney crowd when one student shared, "The Nourish team have created a home away from home. This isn’t just a job for them, this is a community and a family. They’re here because they love it and truly care about us. Graduating is wonderful but the support goes well beyond that.” A huge thank you to our donors and supporters including our national partners Allara Learning and Lendlease who make this program possible. A big shout out to... 19 On-Green Community Centre, Allara Learning, Adelaide Institute of Hospitality, Adelaide Convention Centre, Belmont 16s, bp, The Brocas, Canva, CBD College, City of Charles Sturt Council, Chef Works Australia, Common Ground Permaculture, Dress for Success, Dress for Work, Family Planning, FWH Foundation, HOYTS Group, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Josie’s Coffee, Lendlease, Mas National, Matana Foundation, Marrickville Legal Centre, Maxima, Morialta Trust, Mosaic Hotel, Nisbets, PCYC Lake Macquarie, The Pear Café, Placed Recruitment, Radish Catering, Rotary Charlestown, The Salvation Army, Sheldon & Hammond, Sullivan Consulting, Vittoria, Venues NSW, Wests Group, Woolworths Group, Working Women’s Centre and YMCA St Clair.