Perishable food rescue organisation OzHarvest held its very first Cooking for a Cause event in Gold Coast City recently, delivering hand-made meals to charities across the Coast.
The event was sponsored by Robina Group, who put forward 30 staff to cook in a community kitchen for three hours to produce the meals from quality excess food rescued from commercial outlets.
Since establishing a presence in Gold Coast City in November (2013), OzHarvest has rescued 85,000 kilograms of food from going into landfill, allowing charities to provide the equivalent of 255,000 meals to those in need.
OzHarvest Operations and Special Projects Coordinator Lee Danahay said the Cooking for a Cause event produced meals that were donated to a selection of 30 charities that the organisation assists across Gold Coast City.
The Cooking for a Cause concept has already produced literally thousands of meals for those in need in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Newcastle and Brisbane, while also being a major fundraiser that keeps OzHarvest on the move.
“One of our challenges is raising funds to keep our vans on the road so we can continue to rescue excess food from various businesses,” said Ms Danahay.
“Cooking for a Cause is not only one of our main fundraisers but it also engages businesses and their staff, allowing them to make a meaningful contribution to those in need in their local community.
“Over the three hour period of a Cooking for a Cause event, we produce as many meals as possible, which we then donate to a range of charities, churches and community groups from Oxenford to Coolangatta for those in need.”
Ms Danahay said the Cooking for a Cause event yesterdat produced meals for a number of groups including Rosies, Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth, Surfers Paradise Anglican Crisis Centre, Ronald McDonald House and Nerang Neighbourhood Community Centre.
“It is phenomenal what we have achieved on the Gold Coast in just nine months, with one van, and is really a result of so many people in the community getting behind us,” she said.
“We collect excess food from a range of businesses, including Aldi and the Greener Grocer at Capri on via Roma, along with smaller stores, bakeries, butchers and hotels.
“The introduction of the Cooking for a Cause initiative on the Gold Coast, which is already well established in the other cities we operate, is going to see us extend our work in the city even further.”
Robina Group director Tony Tippett said staff loved getting in the kitchen yesterday and lending a helping hand.
“Our staff have really gotten behind this initiative,” he said.
“They recognise the fantastic work OzHarvest has been doing on the Gold Coast and loved the opportunity to assist them in helping even more people in need.”
“We are very proud of the fact that we are the first Gold Coast City business to undertake the Cooking for the Cause event, hopefully we are paving the way for many more businesses to do the same.”
Robina Group staff put their culinary skills to good use, under the direction of OzHarvest’s Brisbane Chef David Taylor and whipped up over 200 serves of spicy thai pumpkin soup and over 180 serves of delicious stuffed capsicum, all which was distributed to charities for those in need.
The kitchen was abuzz with a sense of purpose as the team bonded, cooked and gave back to the community thanks to OzHarvest’s cooking concept.
Ms Danahay said OzHarvest was now looking to partner with a commercial kitchen in Gold Coast City to allow the charity to facilitate more Cooking for a Cause events.
“We would love to access a bigger commercial kitchen, which will allow more staff – and therefore meals – to be produced,” she said.
“If there are any businesses who can assist, we would love for them to touch base with us and we can work in with their needs.
“We schedule these events well in advance and can ensure they take place at a time that will not interrupt their usual operations.”
