Fare share kitchen - feeding Melbourne's needy families
02 July 2008
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Gavin Jennings today opened a new not-for-profit kitchen at Abbotsford which will produce more than one million healthy meals for Melbourne's homeless and needy.
Supported by a grant of $70,000 under the second round of the Brumby Government's Sustainability Fund, the FareShare kitchen uses quality food that would otherwise be sent to landfill from commercial donor organisations such as caterers, hospitals and markets.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said the large commercial kitchen and distribution centre would allow the FareShare organisation to produce six times the number of meals it currently prepares at the Hanover Crisis Centre in Southbank.
"The outstanding work done by FareShare means this previously wasted resource can be donated and re-distributed to some of our most needy citizens," Mr Jennings said.
"Victorian companies in the commercial and industrial sector discard over 140,000 tonnes of food each year, producing over 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas.
"Australians throw out more than $5 billion worth of food every year. Food waste which goes to landfill has a significant impact on the environment, resulting in the production of methane, a greenhouse gas that is twenty one times more potent than carbon dioxide.
"FareShare has also been successful in the third round of the Sustainability Fund, receiving a $35,000 grant to research the environmental benefits of rescuing food.
"It is not just the methane that is produced when food is sent to landfill, because energy and water are also used to grow, process and transport food."
FareShare sources food from more than 80 businesses and provides food and prepared meals to more than 50 charitable organisations.
FareShare CEO Marcus Godinho said the new premises were also refurbished to maximise the organisation's environmental sustainability.
"Our architects were briefed to use as much of the existing facilities as possible and make use of materials we salvaged from other sites," Mr Godinho said.
"We will also aim to cut the amount of electricity, gas, transportation fuel and water we consume as we take full advantage of the increased capacity the new facility allows."
"I encourage as many businesses as possible to donate food, or in-kind resources such as volunteers or refrigerator space, because you will help Victoria reduce the amount of food going to landfill and help to lower the state's greenhouse gas emissions," Mr Jennings said.
