At Bendigo Foodshare we rescue food that would have once ended up in landfill.
Around 300 volunteers and over 260 partner organisations help to get this food out to nearly 15,500 vulnerable people each week across Central Victoria through food relief programs in schools, kindergartens and childcare centres, large charities like the Salvation Army and St Vincent DePaul, and small community and church groups.
How does Bendigo Foodshare get food to people in need?
Just like our donors, the recipients of our food are everyday people: hard-working families struggling with unforeseen circumstances, individuals who’ve fallen on hard times, farming communities hit hard by drought and students in part-time employment trying to make ends meet.
To make sure people across Central Victoria and Greater Bendigo can access food when they need it most, we work with more than 70 not-for-profit groups that distribute the food on our behalf, including:
- Charitable organisations
- Community and neighbourhood houses
- Community groups
- Schools, kindergartens and early learning centres
For further information on where to access emergency food relief in Central Victoria, please visit the access food relief section on our website.
What region does Bendigo Foodshare support?
Bendigo Foodshare supports food relief across North and Central Victoria, including Kyneton, Castlemaine, Heathcote, Rochester, Echuca, Beaufort, Boort, Girgarre and further afield.
Where does Bendigo Foodshare get its food?
The food we collect is primarily surplus food that is would otherwise have gone to landfill from a wide range of food businesses, such as:
- Supermarkets and food retailers
- Hospitality businesses
- Food manufacturers
- Agricultural businesses and growers
We work closely with these partners, their staff and our volunteers, to make sure the food we rescue and redistribute is suitable for human consumption and meets the stringent food safety standards of the Good Samaritan Act.
The type of food we have in stock varies from week to week, but regularly includes fruit and vegetables, meat, cooked meals and prepacked items, dry goods, bread and baked goods, drinks, dairy and eggs.
How does Bendigo Foodshare operate?
To run Bendigo Foodshare, we need to raise enough funds to cover the cost of warehousing, power for lights, fridges and freezers, staff wages, delivery van and forklift running costs. We do this with the help of local business sponsors, philanthropic grants, grassroots fundraising events and charitable donations from people and groups across the region.
We are also helped by the big-hearted support of more than 300 unpaid volunteers, small team of staff members and a board of unpaid volunteer directors.
Learn more about volunteering at Bendigo Foodshare.
Donations to Bendigo Foodshare of $2 or more are tax-deductible.