FareShare (Australia) facts for kids
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| Formation | 2000 |
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| Headquarters | 1-7 South Audley St, Abbotsford, Victoria, Australia, 3067. Tel. 61 3 9428 0044. |
| Location |
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| Marcus Godinho | |
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Key people
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David Harris (President), Sandy Dudakov (Vice-President), Marcus Godinho, Kellie Watson, Lucy Farmer, Fiona Maxwell, Brian Scammell, Crickette DerJeu, Patrick Lanyon, Rosemary Kelly, James Fien. |
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Staff
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35 |
| Website | www.fareshare.net.au |
FareShare is an amazing Australian charity that helps people who are struggling to get enough food. They are known for having the biggest charity kitchens in Melbourne and Brisbane. Their main goal is to get volunteers to cook tasty, free meals. They use food that would otherwise be wasted, or food that is donated, and even grow some of their own ingredients! This helps Australians who are going through tough times.
FareShare makes healthy, balanced meals that are ready to eat. They give these meals for free to other charities, like places that help people experiencing homelessness, women's shelters, and community food banks. This helps improve the health of people who can't easily get or afford meals, or who might not have a kitchen to cook in.
In Melbourne, hundreds of volunteers work with experienced chefs. Together, they cook thousands of meals every single day! Many groups, like corporate teams and high school students, also volunteer to help with this important work each year.
FareShare also grows its own vegetables in three special kitchen gardens. This helps them add more healthy ingredients and variety to their meals. Their biggest garden is on a family farm, where they grow lots of fresh produce.
In 2018, FareShare opened a kitchen in Brisbane. This kitchen uses food provided by Foodbank Queensland to cook meals for people in Queensland who are facing hardship or a crisis.
FareShare is a charity, which means they rely on support from generous groups, businesses, and individuals. Their donations help them rescue food and cook all these meals.
Contents
FareShare began with a simple idea to help others. Let's look at how this wonderful organisation grew.
The Beginning: One Umbrella and Melbourne City Harvest
In the year 2000, a pastry chef named Guido Pozzebon started cooking 300 pies every Saturday. He made these pies for charities like the Salvation Army. Guido and his friends used extra food from the RACV Club to make savoury pastries. They called their group "One Umbrella."
Around the same time, Steven Kolt learned about an organisation in New York City called City Harvest. This group rescued food for people in need. Inspired by this, "Melbourne City Harvest" started in 2001. They also rescued food that would have been thrown away, collecting prepared meals from events and catering places.
Later in 2001, "Melbourne City Harvest" and "One Umbrella" decided to join forces. This made their efforts even stronger.
Protecting Food Donors: The Good Samaritan Act
"One Umbrella" worked hard to help create a special law in Victoria. This law is called the "Good Samaritan Act." It protects people and businesses who donate food to charities in good faith. This means they won't get into legal trouble if something goes wrong, as long as they were trying to help. This law encourages more food donations.
In 2008, "One Umbrella" changed its name to FareShare. This was a big step! For the first time, FareShare opened its very own kitchen in Abbotsford, Victoria. This allowed them to cook even more meals and help more people.
See also
