ABOUT US
Vision ... To lead a coordinated response to address hunger in our diverse community
Shepparton Foodshare has distributed 4 million kilograms of food, or the equivalent of 8 million meals to people in need across the Goulburn Valley and beyond.
Shepparton Foodshare rescues and receives food donations to redistribute for free to people that need it most. On average 350,000 kgs of food is distributed to registered emergency relief agencies, schools, neighbourhood houses, community meals programs and churches annually. The people supported include individuals, children, homeless, First Nations people and our culturally and linguistically diverse community, including new arrivals and refugees.
Foodshare not only plays an integral role in our region's daily food relief needs, it also plays an essential role during times of crisis and emergency and in the recovery after these events.
Foodshare’s food collection, warehousing and redistribution service provides a hub for registered agencies to collect food for the people they support. It also provides one location for business and individuals to donate food and financial support benefiting the people supported by the 139 registered agencies across the region.
It partners with supermarkets, business, manufacturers, growers and other food rescue agencies to provide nutritious food. Food is stored according to regulation guidelines to extend shelf life and provide nutritious food and prevent edible food entering landfill. Other than a small one-off agency registration fee, it operates under a no fee for service model. All food is provided to agencies on the agreement they provide it to those in necessitous circumstances for free as these people simply cannot pay for it.
Foodshare receives no guaranteed or regular funding to operate, therefore relies on its own fundraising efforts and it runs mainly on volunteers. Along with the positive impact of providing nutritious food to those that would otherwise go hungry and reduced landfill, the social impact of Foodshare flows to volunteers whose combined weekly work exceeds 150 hours. Volunteers benefit from and contribute to a sense of community resilience and connectedness and have the opportunity to gain pre-employment and vocational skills.
Shepparton Foodshare is a member of the Regional Food Security Alliance that was established to support community owned, place-based Food Relief Hubs across regional Victoria in order to try to reduce the inequity in food security between regional and metropolitan Victorians. Combined, Shepparton Foodshare and all members provide services into 39 Victorian shires. This Alliance also enables members to swap and share any excess food to assist with a diverse supply of food in the regions and to further reduce waste.
A study by Think Impact identified that for every dollar inputted, Foodshare provides a Social Return on Investment of $4.17 of social, economic and environmental value.