OzHarvest today launched the signature Cooking for a Cause program in South Australia with supporters and guests making Egg Sliders at the OzHarvest kitchen in Goodwood. Around 130 omelette-filled rolls were prepared and packed by participants for delivery to partner agencies and people in need across Adelaide and surrounding suburbs.

Founder and CEO of OzHarvest, Ronni Kahn, said the aim behind Cooking for a Cause is to provide a fun and interactive way for corporate teams to engage with leading food-rescue organisation OzHarvest while also spreading the word about food sustainability and food waste.

‘Food and cooking is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It nourishes us, it builds community sustainability and it can help keep families and professional teams connected. We get a great number of requests from organisations wanting to support us. Cooking for a Cause is a fantastic way of doing something together, while providing nutritious fresh food to people in the local community who might not otherwise get to eat.’

‘OzHarvest has had huge growth here in SA since we launched three years ago. We are now rescuing on average 5000kg every week and in that time we have delivered more than 1.4 million meals from 380 Adelaide food businesses and redistributed to 70 recipient charitable agencies.’

‘There is always more we can do, and this year our goal is to begin service in the South. We will need a third truck to get there and programs such as Cooking for a Cause will help make that happen,’ said Ronni Kahn.

Trialled in South Australia during 2013, to great feedback, Cooking for a Cause involves Corporate Team Building in the OzHarvest kitchen with one of our supporting Chefs / Cooks guiding the session and providing a fun and informative experience for those participating. All the food is then delivered to our partner agencies as part of the normal delivery run.

There are seven Chefs /Cooks involved in the OzHarvest SA Cooking for a Cause program: Callum Hann (Sprout) & Themis Chryssidis (Sprout), Dennis Leslie (Adelaide Oval), Tze Khaw (Adelaide Convention Centre), Mohammed Bartaouch (Marrakech), Nick Finn (Highway Hotel) and Silvia Hart (Seasonal Garden Café). There also are a dedicated group of volunteers who assist with each session.

Sally Langton, Executive Manager Operations of Common Ground said ‘The tenants at Common Ground love OzHarvest. Each week, a group of tenants take the lead in sorting, packing and distributing the OzHarvest deliveries to others. Any surplus food provides inspiration for our tenant-led cooking group which meets each Monday. Our tenants are now eating fresh fruit and vegetables more regularly and coming together over food has helped Common Ground strengthen and grow as a community,’ she said.

John Phelan, General Electric Volunteer Leader SA/NT added ‘It is really good team building event and great way to meet other colleagues from other GE businesses. Not only did the team enjoy the experience of a professional chef, it was personally satisfying cooking nutritious meals for people less well off than ourselves in our local community’.

Cooking for a Cause has been made possible through significant support from The Klein Family Foundation, enabling OzHarvest to relocate into a commercial kitchen at Goodwood.

‘It is through the generosity of supporters such as The Klein Family Foundation, that OzHarvest is able to do so much more in the community, nourishing the hundreds of South Australians who don’t have access to good food, or helping those who are placed in difficult life circumstances beyond their control and who can no longer afford to eat,’ said Ronni Kahn, founder and CEO of OzHarvest.

Food prepared will be bacon and egg sliders, using donated eggs (Rohde Free Range Eggs) donated bread (Skala Bakery), rescued bacon (Coles) and rescued herbs and vegetables (producers from Adelaide Showground Farmers Market and Adelaide Central Markets). Relish has been made by OzHarvest, including using rescued tomatoes. All food prepared will go to our partner agencies today.

Visit our Cooking for a Cause page to find out how you can book your team for a session.