With passionate committed volunteers at our heart, we’re working together with partners and community to connect people to healthy, affordable food by improving local supply and access, developing food skills and supporting a sustainable and healthy environment.
Our history
Bendigo Foodshare was officially established as an independent charity on 11 April 2013.
Over the past decade, with the direct help of around 500 volunteers, we have distributed around 8 million kilograms of food.
Read more about our story.
Our strategy
At Bendigo Foodshare our vision is for every person in Central Victoria to have access to healthy and safe food.
Our organisation is guided by our Strategic Plan 2023-2025 which sets out our vision, purpose and values.
Read more about our Strategic Plan and values.
Our people
We have a small team of employees, a large team of volunteers and a governing board of volunteers who all help Bendigo Foodshare to provide food relief across Central Victoria and deliver programs that build skills for people to grow, cook and share food .
Read more about volunteering.
What we do
With the help of over 250 passionate and dedicated volunteers and many food donors, corporate supporters, community organisations and generous people, Bendigo Foodshare sources food and distributes it to people in need via our 80+ food partners.
Our dual strategy to prevent food poverty and build food security means we also work with, and educate communities to grow, cook and share healthy and affordable food.
Read more about our impact.
Our Grow Cook Share Food Hub
Access to healthy food is essential to grow, learn, live, work and play well. Bendigo Foodshare has developed hands-on community programs, with a focus on supporting young people to access healthy food:
Our region
Bendigo Foodshare operates on the country of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Wadawurrung and Yorta Yorta peoples.
We support food relief across North and Central Victoria – from Beaufort and Daylesford in the south, to Echuca and Kerang in the north, St Arnaud and Maryborough in the west and Heathcote and Rushworth in the east.
Read more about Our Region here.
Where our food comes from
The food we collect is primarily surplus food that would otherwise have gone to landfill. It comes from a wide range of food businesses, including:
- 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 stringent food safety standards.
Read more about where our food comes from
Our food partners
To make sure people across Central Victoria can access food when they need it most, we work with 80+ food partners who distribute food relief on our behalf, including:
- Charitable organisations
- Community and neighbourhood houses
- Community and church groups
- Schools, kindergartens and early learning centres
For a full list of our food partners, please click here.
To access food relief in Central Victoria, click here.
Our vehicles
We simply could not operate without our food rescue and delivery vehicles. As we say they are “powered by our community”.
Our vehicles each have different responsibilities and all play a vital role each day to provide food to the community. They are taken out by volunteers to rescue, collect and deliver food right across Central Victoria.
Read more about our vehicles.
Partnerships and affiliations
We play an important leadership role across our region, collaborating with various groups, partners, industries, community and alliances.
We’re working together with many organisations to achieve collective impact and better outcomes for our community.
Read more about our affiliations.
Who we help
Bendigo Foodshare provides food for around 13,000 people every week.
These are everyday people, dual-income families, single parents, university students, the elderly and everyone in between.
In recent times we have seen a 40-60% increase in food relief access, mostly due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, floods and the increased cost of living.
Read more about who we help.
How we are funded
We are registered charity that relies on the generosity of our community.
We receive limited government funding and are only able to operate because of the support of local people, businesses, philanthropy, community fundraising and charitable donations from our community.
Funds help cover operating costs including our warehouse, our rescue and delivery vehicles, staff wages and costs to deliver community programs. All donations large and small help us to continue our vital work.
Donations to Bendigo Foodshare of $2 or more are tax-deductible. Donate here.
No one likes seeing food go to waste, but it remains a multi billion dollar issue in Australia.
Which is why at Bendigo Foodshare we are so proud of the work we do locally to stop food being sent to landfill.
Bendigo Foodshare is a Child Safe organisation. All children engaging with Bendigo Foodshare programs have the right to feel and be safe. Keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility. Bendigo Foodshare is committed to providing a child safe environment where children are safe and feel safe, and where their voices are heard about the decisions that affect them. Our Statement of Intent.