15 Surplus Veg?

Surplus Veg? Donate unsold produce to feed people in need

FareShare needs your support to cook free, nutritious meals for Victorians experiencing crisis or hardship.

FareShare volunteers FareShare operates Australia’s largest charity kitchens, and its Melbourne chefs are struggling to keep pace with rising food insecurity. Wholesale support is transformative in helping FareShare cook the best nutritious meals for people struggling to put food on the table. By donating your surplus produce to FareShare, you will add energy, taste and nutrition to FareShare meals which are given away free to frontline charities to nourish communities across the state. Your contribution will have a direct impact on the lives of people doing it tough.

Why donate to FareShare?

It’s easy – simply drop your produce off at the FareShare collection point located at the back of Store 6 on the northern end of the market. Leave your name and a tax receipt so that FareShare can provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. It feels good – all donated produce will help FareShare cook nutritious, ready-to-eat meals for vulnerable people in their hour of need.

Meet a FareShare supporter:

Adrian has two university degrees in osteopathy but what keeps him waking up before dawn every day to run his wholesale store at Melbourne Market is the community. Adrian says, ‘The hours are tough, but I enjoy the work and the environment. What you get here is the real versions of people - that’s what I love most.’ Along with his work as a wholesaler of potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, Adrian is a dedicated family man passionate about helping others through sponsoring sports clubs and donating produce to FareShare. ‘I’m time poor, so it’s an easy way for me to give back. I was brought up by a family who grew and sold fresh produce so I understand the importance of real food,’ says Adrian, whose advice to people at home is to try and eat as fresh and as local as you can, ‘If you can grow it in your backyard, you should eat it. If you can’t, then you probably shouldn’t.’ FareShare kitchen manager Crickette Derjeu says, ‘We are so grateful of wholesalers like Adrian who are making a direct impact - the bulk donations from the markets are so valuable for our kitchens. We cook thousands of free, nutritious meals per day and having fresh vegetables adds to the nutritional value of the complete meal. We are reliant on these generous donations to maintain our production.’

Produce FareShare accept:

FareShare accepts donations of all vegetables. FareShare chefs particularly value: ¡ Capsicum

¡ Sweet potato ¡ Pumpkin ¡ Zucchini

¡ Broccoli

¡ Carrot

To learn more about how you can get involved and donate produce to FareShare – please get in touch.

1-7 S Audley St, Abbotsford VIC 3067

(03) 9428 0044

OPPORTUNITY TO SPONSOR

The Fresh State Coffee Cart

On the mornings of February the 24th and 25th Sarah Willis from the MMCS and Daisy Divak from Fresh State parked the Fresh State Coffee Cart on the buyers walk in the Melbourne Market, and served free, hot coffee to wholesalers. Lattes were poured from 6:30am-7:30am, as the marketeers began to cease trade for the day. There were lots of happy, caffeinated wholesalers in the Market on those two mornings!

The Coffee Cart is up and running and will be serving hot coffee to the Melbourne market community on a monthly basis. There is an opportunity for wholesalers and other market businesses to sponsor the coffee cart and have their logo featured for everyone to see! Your logo will be placed around the Fresh State logo, on either one or both sides of the coffee cart. The coffee cart will be available for Fresh State members to use at market events, including fundraisers, BBQs, and other celebrations. Fresh State will provide all the supplies needed to use the cart. Contact carolyn@freshstate.com.au for more information on this opportunity.