Since 2012 Shepparton Foodshare has been rescuing and receiving donations of fresh and nutritious food and redistributing it to those in need in the Goulburn Valley. It partners with supermarkets, business and other food rescue agencies across the state to provide nutritious food from every food group. Food is then collected by registered emergency relief agencies, churches and schools and distributed to those in need within the local community.

The food rescued by, and donated to Foodshare, is at its ‘sell by’ or ‘best before’ date or may, for example have labelling errors. Depending on the type of food, it may remain fit for consumption for days to months after this date. By storing the food according to regulation guidelines, Foodshare is able to extend its shelf life to provide nutritious meals for local people and prevent edible food entering the waste stream.

Through its rescue, sorting and redistribution operation, Foodshare is able to prevent around 300,000 kilograms of food from going into landfill as waste every year. An additional environmental benefit from our food sorting process is the separation of food and plastic packaging, with vegetable food waste provided as farm animal food, and plastic waste redirected from landfill into the recycling stream.

Along with the positive impact of providing nutritious food to those that would otherwise go hungry, the social impact of Shepparton Foodshare also flows to the more than 20 volunteers whose combined work each week exceeds 100 hours. These volunteers benefit from and contribute to a sense of community resilience and connectedness, and have the opportunity to gain pre-employment and vocational skills.

The community initiative is overseen by a skills based volunteer Board and operates from the back of the Geoffrey Thompson warehouse in Toolamba Rd, Mooroopna.