What we do
We don’t buy or sell food. FareShare receives food from a range of different types of donors - food wholesalers, catering companies, food outlets and other organisations.
We receive food in many forms. Sometimes it might be meat that has been ground too fine by a butcher. Perhaps it might be fruit and vegies that might not look perfect (for example, due to rain damage), but are still perfectly edible, or high fibre bread not sold on the day it is baked. Even sealed items, like fruit juices, breakfast cereals or yogurt tubs not opened by patients in hospital and left on their trays – all can be put to good use.
Fresh fruit and vegetables and sandwiches might go straight out to charities. But what makes FareShare unique is the meals we make in our very own kitchen. Fresh, raw, prepared or part-prepared food is dropped off at our kitchen, where it is quickly transformed into nourishing, often hand-held, meals by our chefs and dedicated volunteers. Some bulk quantities of frozen food, like pastry or meat, might be immediately stored in our freezer, for gradual use over the coming weeks.
An important aspect of our work is to raise community awareness of the magnitude of hunger and food insecurity around us, and the extent of food wastage in Victoria. And we provide people with an opportunity to make a difference in their world, by volunteering in our kitchen or helping in a host of other ways.
