OzHarvest Victoria
2025 was a landmark year for OzHarvest Melbourne. We scaled dramatically, growing our food rescue fleet from 9 to 13 yellow vans reaching communities from Werribee to Craigieburn and down the peninsula to Rye.
Our brand-new Southeast Melbourne Hub brought us closer to communities that need us most, running five yellow van routes alongside expanded operations from Port Melbourne. Together, this created a 44% increase in capacity.
Taking on 56 Woolworths stores from SecondBite was a massive leap forward. It enabled us to connect 21 new charities with essential food and deliver an additional 760,000 meals.
Building the future
OzHarvest is piloting an innovative approach using new technology, we’ve connected 26 Woolworths stores directly with 20 charities, creating a bridge between surplus food and ongoing need. It’s early days, but the potential is extraordinary.
Inspiring change
Our NEST nutrition team is connecting communities and building new life skills across Victoria. With 44 programs delivered in the last year, reaching as far as Nillumbik, Cardinia and Geelong and impacting the lives of 455 participants.
Our curriculum aligned FEAST program is now in over 275 schools in Victoria and continues to expand through regional engagement with Bendigo and Shepparton tours, while at St Louis De Montfort’s School, a FEAST hero teacher delivered a standout masterclass. Teacher Thomson Wood later shared the impact of FEAST in a compelling ABC interview, amplifying the program’s reach beyond the classroom.
Special Thanks
Connecting Victorians to our cause
Thanks to our Cooking for a Cause program, we’ve hosted a wide range of Melbourne corporate teams in our kitchens, turning rescued ingredients into meals made with love, October was a sell-out month with 590 participants cooking across 29 sessions! The After cooking with us, the Vitasoy Exec team are now providing continuous supply of free milk to the Refettorio!
Melbourne hosted two CEO CookOff events, bringing renowned chefs and business leaders together to cook, connect and create change. We topped the year off with fabulous fundraising thanks to ABC Gives appeal which saw generous donations pour in as heartfelt stories were shared on local radio.
