OzHarvest are deemed (in our books at the very least) pioneers where the aim is to reduce food waste, "recycle" if you will to those who are in need and in a relatively short amount of time have reached levels which even they wouldn't have dreamt of when first starting out.
Through hard work and simply by not taking "no" as an easy way out, they have forged their way and we are proud of our association with them.
As such we felt that a segment on their amazing ethic, achievements and goodness should be celebrated. Come spend some time with the group known as OzHarvest.
How, when and why was OzHarvest created
OzHarvest is a non-denominational charity that rescues quality excess food which would otherwise be discarded. This surplus food is redistributed (at no cost) to more than 500 charitable organisations and welfare agencies, providing much needed assistance to vulnerable and disadvantaged men, women and children.
OzHarvest aims to Nourish out Country by educating the public about the issues of food waste, promoting healthy eating and nutrition and encouraging ways to minimise the impact of waste on the environment.
Since 2004, OzHarvest has delivered more than 17 million meals and has rescued more than 5,000 tonnes of food from ending up as landfill. Using a fleet of 20 vehicles , OzHarvest rescues food from restaurants, cafes, hotels, retailers, manufacturers and food outlets throughout NSW, SA, QLD, VIC as well as helping in rural areas with their regional food rescue programme REAP (you can read more about this programme "here").
Thanks to OzHarvest many men, women and children at the agencies that OzHarvest supports, now have a wider supply and variety of fresh and cooked foods, fruit and vegetables and breakfast items which they could not access previously.
In a relatively short amount of time the OzHarvest movement has gained incredible momentum. Were you surprised how quickly people were prepared to become involved either by way of donation and volunteering
We are the first food rescue experts in Australia and what we do is quite unique. Therefore as a Charity we are a natural choice for people to volunteer who are either passionate about preventing good food going to waste or who want to help those in need.
Also many "foodies" were quick to jump on board as food is their passion.
OzHarvest is a regular visitor to both Orange Grove and Marrickville Markets. How did the association between OzHarvest and Organic Food Markets come about
One of our long term volunteers, Leane Senzamici, was a regular customer at her local Marrickville Market each weekend. Leane is passionate about food and spreading the OzHarvest message, so she approached the market managers to ask if OzHarvest could have a stall there to raise awareness for our work.
The Organic Food Market organisers were very generous to donate a space to us free each month. Our first stall at Marrickville Market was in mid-2011.
Leane took on the role of Market leader and has worked very hard to build our presence there and is supported by volunteers each month. We now also collect all excess produce from the market at the end of each weekend.
Organic Food Markets have generously offered OzHarvest a stall at their other locations and we started our volunteer at Orange Grove Market in 2013.
Being a not for profit organisation where volunteers play an essential role, if anyone was wishing to become part of the team, what do they need to do
We have a large number of vollies that support us and keep our service running. If anyone is interested in joining our team we hold regular Volunteer Intakes throughout the year and will be holding the next Volunteer Information Night on Wednesday 28th August at 5:30pm.
Full details of our Volunteering Programme, including various roles available, recruitment process and how to register for the information session can be found on our website "here"
As consumers what can we do to assist OzHarvest continue their work and assist in its growth
People are able to help by donating time, skills, money or food to OzHarvest.
For every dollar that OzHarvest receives, we are able to deliver two nutritious meals to people in need.
Please visit www.ozharvest.org or call 1800 108 006 for further information.
keep up to date with OzHarvest on:
Facebook (click "here")
Twitter (click "here")
Youtube (click "here")
Ammado (click "here")
Instagram (click "here")
OzHarvest is a non-denominational charity that rescues quality excess food which would otherwise be discarded. This surplus food is redistributed (at no cost) to more than 500 charitable organisations and welfare agencies, providing much needed assistance to vulnerable and disadvantaged men, women and children.
OzHarvest aims to Nourish out Country by educating the public about the issues of food waste, promoting healthy eating and nutrition and encouraging ways to minimise the impact of waste on the environment.
Since 2004, OzHarvest has delivered more than 17 million meals and has rescued more than 5,000 tonnes of food from ending up as landfill. Using a fleet of 20 vehicles , OzHarvest rescues food from restaurants, cafes, hotels, retailers, manufacturers and food outlets throughout NSW, SA, QLD, VIC as well as helping in rural areas with their regional food rescue programme REAP (you can read more about this programme "here").
Thanks to OzHarvest many men, women and children at the agencies that OzHarvest supports, now have a wider supply and variety of fresh and cooked foods, fruit and vegetables and breakfast items which they could not access previously.
We are the first food rescue experts in Australia and what we do is quite unique. Therefore as a Charity we are a natural choice for people to volunteer who are either passionate about preventing good food going to waste or who want to help those in need.
Also many "foodies" were quick to jump on board as food is their passion.
OzHarvest is a regular visitor to both Orange Grove and Marrickville Markets. How did the association between OzHarvest and Organic Food Markets come about
One of our long term volunteers, Leane Senzamici, was a regular customer at her local Marrickville Market each weekend. Leane is passionate about food and spreading the OzHarvest message, so she approached the market managers to ask if OzHarvest could have a stall there to raise awareness for our work.
The Organic Food Market organisers were very generous to donate a space to us free each month. Our first stall at Marrickville Market was in mid-2011.
Leane took on the role of Market leader and has worked very hard to build our presence there and is supported by volunteers each month. We now also collect all excess produce from the market at the end of each weekend.
Organic Food Markets have generously offered OzHarvest a stall at their other locations and we started our volunteer at Orange Grove Market in 2013.
Being a not for profit organisation where volunteers play an essential role, if anyone was wishing to become part of the team, what do they need to do
We have a large number of vollies that support us and keep our service running. If anyone is interested in joining our team we hold regular Volunteer Intakes throughout the year and will be holding the next Volunteer Information Night on Wednesday 28th August at 5:30pm.
Full details of our Volunteering Programme, including various roles available, recruitment process and how to register for the information session can be found on our website "here"
As consumers what can we do to assist OzHarvest continue their work and assist in its growth
People are able to help by donating time, skills, money or food to OzHarvest.
For every dollar that OzHarvest receives, we are able to deliver two nutritious meals to people in need.
Please visit www.ozharvest.org or call 1800 108 006 for further information.
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And with that we thank OzHarvest for not only sharing some time and insight with us, but through their extraordinary efforts being able to reach and assist folk in need.
Keep an eye out for that yellow van and if you have any food or money or time you would like to donate, contact OzHarvest via the details mentioned above.
We couldn't think of a better way to end this article than this:
Facebook (click "here")
Twitter (click "here")
Youtube (click "here")
Ammado (click "here")
Instagram (click "here")
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