Feed

2024 was a year for strengthening food rescue operations with infrastructure investment and enhanced efficiencies to meet growing community demand. Our annual survey of the charities we support showed the need is higher than ever, with over a third of people seeking help for the first time as the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact so many people. Most charities need extra food to meet demand and there are still 848 on waiting list.  

We’re working hard to increase the volume of rescued food across our food donor network. Our partnership with national food rescue partner, Woolworths is essential to providing regular fresh and nutritious food and we now collect from over 600 stores nationwide. Relationships with Aldi and other food donors have helped us optimise collection processes and maximize food rescue volumes, while maintaining our high quality and safety standards.

Our national fleet has embraced sustainability with two hybrid trucks operating in Melbourne and Brisbane and two electric vehicles to support our education programs and community outreach work.

Regional highlights:

New South Wales
Our new Greater Western Sydney hub opened in October, thanks to NSW EPA funding. Expanding our capacity with six Sydney-based food rescue runs and significantly reducing driver travel time to serve both existing and new charities.

Queensland
After eight months of post-storm displacement across temporary locations, our Brisbane team moved into a new forever home in October, in a spacious Banyo warehouse.  The new space means enhanced food rescue capabilities and plans for a new kitchen are already underway.

South Australia
Our second free supermarket opened in Adelaide in August, thanks to philanthropic funding from Jarvis Ford and five years of planning! Located next door to our Adelaide warehouse, the market is providing much-needed food relief, serving over 600 customers weekly.

Victoria
Thanks to Goodman funding, the Melbourne team added a new run in March 2024, resulting in a 15% increase in rescued food kgs, helping to address the ongoing demand.

WA
With State Government food relief funding, the Perth team delivered an extra 230,000 meals and expanded further into severe food deficit regions. Thanks to Channel 7 Telethon Trust, the Nourishing our Schools program is now reaching over 140 schools and delivering more than 200,000kgs of much needed food. 

NT & Tasmania
Our first year of food rescue in the NT saw us working alongside local organisations and traditional owners to support remote Indigenous communities in Kakadu, through a mobile market which delivered over 230,000 meals!Our first yellow van arrived in Launceston in October, kicking off our food rescue operations with great community support from local supermarkets, primary producers, farmers, and bakeries enabling us to feed people in need via 16 local charities.

OzHarvest Markets continue to be bright spots of community connection and support, providing a welcoming environment and dignified shopping experience in times of increased need.

Thanks to the City of Sydney, the Waterloo Market opened on Mondays throughout 2024 expanding access to nutritious food and essential services. The sense of community shines through at the annual Eat.Shop.Chop event, where over 550 customers enjoyed free haircuts, new clothing and delicious food truck meals. It’s not just about food – it’s about creating moments of joy and dignity for our community.

In August, we opened our second market in Adelaide, thanks to philanthropic funding from Richard and Joanne Collins. This has quickly become a vital community hub and is now serving over 600 customers weekly. Both markets provide so much more than food relief – they offer hope, comfort, conversation and often a lifeline for people facing challenging times. The deep emotional impact felt by an international student, was shared by one of our kind-hearted volunteers,

“You saved my life,”

he said.

After a bumper year for Cooking for a Cause bookings across the country, this program is now well recognised and much loved by many corporates as a unique team building experience, packed with purpose, education and social impact. It brings together business leaders, employees, customers, clients, friends, families and communities in a meaningful way. 

This year the Sydney team evolved the program to include an ‘After Dark’ event, welcoming teams to add on an evening dining experience to enjoy the delicious food they’ve cooked. After popular demand, our amazing chefs are now running Kids Cooking for a Cause during the school holidays, proving to be a hit for parents and their children!

We’re always looking to adapt and innovate wherever we can. The Melbourne chef team rose to the challenge working with McCormick to prepare and deliver meals made with love for families at Ronald McDonald House Charities, bringing comfort to those supporting children in hospital care. 

When Brisbane faced unexpected storms which damaged our kitchen facility, the community came to the rescue with YCC opening their kitchen to ensure we could continue serving those in need.

In Adelaide we opened our new kitchen next door to the office in October and the passionate Perth team are steadily growing the program in WA.

Cooking for a Cause is an eye-opening introduction to food rescue, food waste and community service, creating lasting impressions that ripple through corporate culture and beyond. We think this quote sums it up nicely!

“The power of your culture, respect and gratitude was palpable and offered a wonderful model for our own team culture.We came away profoundly inspired by all that you do – the quality of rescued food and beautiful cooking to create such nutritious meals, were significant realisations for many in our team.”

Elizabeth Burrell
People & Culture Executive Manager
Australian Orthopaedic Association