FareShare in the Market

FareShare, which runs Australia’s largest charity kitchens, will soon be cooking tonnes of rescued food from the Melbourne Market into cooked, nutritious meals for those going hungry.

The number of people seeking food relief has increased by more than 50% across Victoria since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. People have lost their jobs, visa holders and international students have been left without financial support, and many others have fallen into hard times. During this time, FareShare has continued to cook millions of meals for our most vulnerable.

From Monday, September 14, FareShare will start collecting vegetables from a new collection bay at the back of Store 6 on the northern end of the market, each morning from Monday to Friday.

The vegetables will be used to cook meals in the Abbotsford kitchen, including casseroles, stews, curries, quiches, and savoury pastries.

FareShare CEO Marcus Godinho said rescuing vegetables still fit for human consumption was an important part of FareShare’s mission and would help increase the number of meals its chefs and hundreds of volunteers could cook.

“Vegetables are critical to ensuring FareShare meals are nutritious,” Mr. Godinho said. “Every one of our meals provides two-thirds of the daily recommended intake of vegetables and more than half of protein. Collections from the market will help us maintain our high nutritional standard of meals.”.

All FareShare meals are given away free to frontline charities such as homeless shelters, soup vans, women’s refuges, and community food banks.

Vegetables required:

• Asian greens

• Asparagus

• Beans (any variety)

• Broccoli

• Brussel Sprouts

• Cabbage

• Capsicum (any variety)

• Carrots

• Cauliflower

• Celeriac

• Celery

• Corn

• Eggplant

• Garlic

• Ginger

• Leeks

• Mushroom (any variety)

• Onions (any variety)

• Parsnips

• Peas / Snow peas

• Potatoes (preferably washed)

• Pumpkin (any variety)

• Silver beet

• Spinach

• Squash

• Swedes

• Sweet potato (any variety)

• Tomatoes (any variety)

• Turnips

• Zucchini