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Ronni makes a meal of unwanted food

Ronni Kahn 4THE enormous volume of food wasted every day in corporate hospitality horrified Ronni Kahn.

Having run her own events company, she says: “I came to a point where I questioned why I was put on earth – I was searching for a larger purpose to life.”

RK 1
OzHarvest CEO and founder Ronni Kahn… “There are so many organisations in Canberra doing fantastic work and when we collaborate we can make the most impact.” Photo by Kate Meikle
Inspired by a New York charity, Ronni saw food rescue as her way to make a difference.

“I was able to connect these two things – my background in events and my desire to help people,” she says.

And so, in 2004, Ronni founded OzHarvest in Sydney as the first perishable food-rescue organisation in Australia to collect excess food from commercial outlets and redistribute it for charitable purposes.

This year the bright yellow OzHarvest vans will deliver four million kilograms of surplus food, direct and free of charge, to 650 charities nationally.

Speaking to “CityNews” at her new, bright-yellow headquarters in Sydney’s bustling Alexandria, the effervescent CEO says it was a simple message, one that parents have been preaching to their children through the ages – don’t waste your food.

Ronni found that it resonated with all who heard about it from both a social welfare and environmental perspective.

“I was like the pied piper. Once I said what I was doing, everyone understood it, believed in it and came on board.”

It was through this word-of-mouth network that OzHarvest first came to Canberra, in 2008, in partnership with Communities at Work.

“We worked wonderfully as a partner with Communities at Work until they started their own van in 2012,” says Ronni.

“We then got called by agencies asking us to return. The model that Communities at Work had taken over changed and our job is to answer that need in the community.”

And the need is great. From its recommencement in Canberra in November, a whopping 43,423 kilograms of food has been rescued by OzHarvest and directed to 54 organisations free of charge. In February alone, 16,202 kilograms was saved. OzHarvest also operates in Queanbeyan and Yass.

Forty-six donors supply the yellow van on a regular basis including major supermarkets, restaurants, the National Convention Centre and Virgin Airlines.

Kahn’s keen appetite for social change has seen OzHarvest diversify its operations into community education initiatives. OzHarvest Canberra will roll out their Nutrition Education Sustenance Training (NEST) program this year, which will see people in need taught key skills about healthy food choices and preparation.

“Our NEST program is to educate and engage vulnerable people to teach them a more nutritious and nourishing way of life to look after themselves and make healthier decisions,” says Ronni.

Another burgeoning initiative is OzHarvest’s NOURISH program in which disadvantaged youths are taught work skills aimed to take them into careers in hospitality.

The NOURISH pilot program began late last year in OzHarvest’s commercial kitchen at its Sydney headquarters and there are plans for expansion to other states.

“For me, this year it’s about helping more kids find employment. Helping them to be a success,” enthuses Ronni.

After 10 years at the helm and 33 million meals distributed to those in need, Ronni Kahn’s mission remains strong; as the supersized branding on the yellow warehouse’s wall states: “Our purpose is to nourish our country”. Ronni’s vibrant personality permeates the OzHarvest brand.

“I will always be finding more ways to help people. Helping people is so nourishing!” she says.

“We are thrilled to be back in Canberra and there is plenty to do. There are so many organisations in Canberra doing fantastic work and when we collaborate together we can make the most impact.”

 

Help OzHarvest through donating, volunteering or buy the second edition of its “Urban Harvest” cookbook, online at ozharvest.org

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One Response to Ronni makes a meal of unwanted food

cath says: 18 March 2015 at 12:55 pm

Great work. This has always been one of my favourite charities – solving two problems, waste and hunger, at once. I also love that it has a real community focus and local businesses can create something good from their losses.
Well done 🙂

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