OzHarvest Port Macquarie is run solely by a dedicated volunteer team who deliver around 14,000 meals every month. One of those passionate volunteers is Patric Moberger, who joined OzHarvest’s yellow army earlier in the year. Since then he’s gone the extra mile time and again to support his community. We spoke to Patric about his journey with OzHarvest so far.

Why did you decide to volunteer with OzHarvest?

I moved up to Port Macquarie to be able to slow down with work, semi retire and do some volunteer work. I already knew about OzHarvest and have met Ronni before – I love her values and what OzHarvest stands for. I’m also a big foodie and love everything that has to do with good food, sustainable cooking, and ethical ways of reducing waste. So here I am, volunteering for an organisation that truly corresponds with my own values!

How have you found volunteering with OzHarvest so far?

The Port Macquarie volunteers are a great team of like-minded people. Everyone is very dedicated to the cause and I’m proud to be one of them!

Earlier in the year, you went above and beyond by cooking meals in your own home that were distributed to vulnerable communities. What sparked this?

In March, Port Macquarie suffered severely from the floods on the Mid-north Coast. People lost their homes, their pets, their friends, everything. It was a sad period, but with resilience and an enormous sense of togetherness, we all managed to slowly get back on our feet. Right in the midst of it, we were due to rescue food and deliver food to one of our charities, but had to cancel the run due to safety risks. That day I started cooking, and I cooked, and cooked, and cooked! I started with Bolognese, then risotto, and then green chicken curry! All together I cooked more than 150 meals that went straight to people who needed them! I was busy, but I did something I loved that helped my community, so it was definitely worth it.

You also held a fundraiser on Facebook for your birthday. How did it go?

I did! I didn’t need anything for my birthday, but others do. So, I kicked off a fundraiser for OzHarvest! I raised $850 and the team and I decided to use that money to purchase food and turn it into delicious meals for people in need. We wanted to tell every single person who donated that their money went right from the donation to meals. The plan is to do a monthly cook with some of the team.

For our first cook up, we made pumpkin risotto with sage and mushrooms and a Thai inspired marinated BBQ chicken with Basmati rice. Next time it will be a pasta Bolognese and a vegetarian lentil curry. We cook 150-200 meals per session, which is great for a small team like ours! And it all gets delivered to those doing it tough in our community.

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