Gift of Bread facts for kids
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| Formation | 14 April 2007 |
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| Headquarters | Suite 2, Level 3A 1 Bligh Street, Sydney |
| Products | Bread |
| Services | Food rescue |
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Director
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Marcel De Maria |
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Director
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Valerian Rego |
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Secretary
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Nick Tropea |
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Parent organization
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Medius Dei Limited |
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Volunteers (2016)
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270 |
| Website | |
Gift of Bread is an Australian charitable organisation that helps people by sharing bread. Their main goal is to build strong communities. They also work to reduce food waste and help the environment.
Volunteers from Gift of Bread collect extra bread from bakeries and supermarkets. This bread is then given for free to charities. These charities use the bread to feed people who are in need or feel lonely.
A group called OzHarvest, which also rescues food, says that bread is very cheap to make. Bakeries often make a lot of it to keep their shelves full. This means there is often a lot of leftover bread.
How Gift of Bread Started
Gift of Bread began in 2007. It started with one person collecting leftover bread every Friday. This bread came from a local Bakers Delight store.
More volunteers and bakeries joined the program over time. The project grew a lot. By 2018, Gift of Bread was handling and delivering 290,000 bags of bread each year.
In 2016, the Canterbury League Club gave a Toyota HiAce van to Gift of Bread. This was a big help. It meant they didn't have to rely as much on volunteers' cars. Bread could be collected and delivered faster and more easily.
Dr. George Peponis, a community leader, said that bread is a basic food in many cultures. He noted that it's not just healthy, but it also brings people together. Everyone should have enough food for their health and well-being.
In May 2017, The Daily Telegraph newspaper wrote about Gift of Bread. This was part of their stories for National Volunteer Week. In August 2017, Jo Haylen, who represents the Summer Hill area, praised Gift of Bread in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
In May 2018, Gift of Bread got a second van called Spirit of Faith. This was possible thanks to donations from the NSW Government, Inner West Council, and Amato's Liquor Mart.
In 2020, Marcel De Maria, who started Gift of Bread, won the Westfield Local Hero award. This award included a grant of $10,000 for Gift of Bread.
In October 2022, a third van was added to their group of vehicles. It was a Toyota HiAce SLWB named Spirit of Charity. In August 2023, their older Toyota H200 vans were replaced. They got two newer Toyota H300 SLWB vans instead.
How Gift of Bread Works
At the end of each day, volunteers pick up extra bread and other bakery items. They collect these from bakeries across the Inner West of Sydney. The products are then taken to a special center for sorting and giving out.
Their main center is in Tempe, New South Wales. They also have more than ten other smaller centers.
At these centers, bread loaves are sliced and put into bags. Rolls and other bakery items are also packaged in a standard way. These packages are then given for free to many different groups.
These groups include charities, boarding houses, nursing homes, community groups, schools, and churches. They also help outreach programs and individuals.
Some of the main groups that receive bread from Gift of Bread are the Exodus Foundation, Australian Red Cross, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, and Youth Off The Streets.
Gift of Bread pays for its running costs through donations. They also raise money by holding sausage sizzles and an annual dinner.
See also
