The impact of COVID-19 and the huge rise in demand for food relief has seen OzHarvest pivot and adapt operations daily over the last 18 months. Our drivers became frontline workers making sure good food continued to be delivered to those who need it most, whilst behind the scenes OzHarvest chefs and many of our Hospitality Hero partners cooked up a storm in kitchens across the country to provide over one million delicious and nutritious cooked meals to some of the most hard-hit communities.

Leading the Sydney chef team, Shae Niven said around 6,000 meals are cooked by OzHarvest every week, with an additional 6,000 prepared by Hospitality Heroes including Neil Perry’s Hope Delivery and NSW Parliament House.

“Since March last year, the chefs and our amazing partners have been producing home-style cooked meals to support the huge increase in need. The individually portioned meals are ready to eat and packed full of nutritious ingredients, so they are perfect for people who can’t get to the shops, or who are unable to cook for themselves.”

OzHarvest Executive Chef, Travis Harvey said reaching one million meals was a great milestone and everyone involved is passionate about creating good food for those doing it tough in these challenging times. “We take great pride in creating nourishing meals that are cooked with love, knowing the difference it can make to a parent who is struggling to put food on the table. Thanks to all the hospitality partners across the country who have also helped us increase our food relief support though the cooked meals program.”

A Community Mental Health Clinician from the Keeping the Body in Mind program said, “The OzHarvest cooked meals are absolutely fabulous and are an easy healthy solution for so many people in need. We have been providing regular cooked meals to a young man living in crisis accommodation, which has improved his physical and mental health and eased his worry about not having enough food. He was so grateful.”

The cooked meals include Moroccan beef with rice, Korean soy braised pork with rice and greens, beef kofta with cous cous and yoghurt, braised lamb with parmesan polenta and greens, and ratatouille with polenta. OzHarvest ensures all dietary needs are met with meals that are halal, gluten free and vegetarian.

Our heartfelt thanks go to our amazing chefs and Hospitality Hero partners across the country for working tirelessly to create one million cooked meals:

NSW: Andrews Meats, Bankstown RSL, Bella Brutta, Bopp and Tone, Canva, Fareshare, JP Morgan, Nel Restaurant – Electrolux, Paddington RSL – Kids Giving Back, Parliament of New South Wales, Pure Foundation at Lendlease, Hope Delivery, Safety Culture, Soul Origin, Merewether High School, PCYC Lake Macquarie, Travel Lodge Newcastle, and MinterEllison.

ACT: National Convention Centre (NCC).

Queensland: Australian Catering Services, Brubecks Boutique Foods, Gerard’s Bistro, Get Chef’d, OTTO Ristorante, Pawpaw Café, QPAC, Tattersall’s Club, The Calile, Victoria Park Golf Complex, Tropic Spirit Catering, Barrington College, Blair Athol, Labrador – Street 2 Home Program, Paradox Coffee Roasters, Tweed Heads Bowls Club.

Victoria and SA: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Adelaide Oval Stadium, Parliament House (Adelaide), Australian Catering Services, Rockpool Bar & Grill (Melbourne).

WA: Bamboo Catering, Bread in Common, Brookfield Place, Comestibles, Crowne Plaza Perth, Diamond Brook Catering, Kazoomies Catering and Events, La Cholita, May Street Larder, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Rendezvous Hotel Scarborough, The Quarter Acre Hotel, VenuesWest (incl. Optus Stadium, RAC Arena, HBF Stadium).