THE OzHarvest yellow food van has returned to Canberra, responding to what its ACT manager Dave Burnet calls “numerous requests from local charities”.
The highly successful OzHarvest charity model, in which food is recovered from restaurants and supermarkets and distributed without charge to local charities, was lost to Canberra in 2012 after separating from local operator Communities @ Work, which went on to replace it with its own Yellow Van.
The Yellow Van service model has changed with Communities @ Work ceasing free deliveries to local charities, discontinuing food collections from small businesses and clubs, charging for food and levying charities a membership fee.
Barnet, who had been with the original OzHarvest Van and the subsequent Yellow Van, said he has been continually contacted by local charities asking for help.
“I considered setting up a new food rescue service, but the costs were prohibitive. Some of the agencies ended up contacting OzHarvest asking for help as their clients were being turned away in large numbers with no fresh-food relief.
“With the support of the Snow Foundation, Canberra Airport, the Thyne Reid Foundation we’ve hit the road again.
“We’re based at Fairbairn in a donated office, and operating seven days a week.
“Our food collections are in the order of 4000 to 5000 kilos a week, and every kilo is delivered free to the 43 (and rising) charities we assist.
“Every one of the agencies/charities we used to visit as Yellow Van has signed up with us.
“We’re not about competition, we’re about working collaboratively in the community, and there is plenty of food still available for any number of food rescue services. We have been contacted by Aldi and other supermarkets asking us to visit.
“I have the welfare of the community at heart, and I love being involved in food rescue.”
Who can be trusted?
In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.
If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.
Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.
Thank you,
Ian Meikle, editor
Leave a Reply