OzHarvest is appealing to Aussies to help get a new technology solution off the ground that will tackle the hunger crisis in remote and regional communities. In a bid to secure a $1million grant as part of the Google Impact Challenge 2018, OzHarvest has been selected as one of 10 finalists and is asking the public to give them a boost and cast a vote in the People’s Choice Award. Vote here!

OzHarvest currently rescues around 180 tonnes of quality surplus food every week and delivers it directly to over 1,300 charities using a fleet of refrigerated vans. Demand for food relief is on the rise, especially in remote and regional communities where food relief is increasingly hard to access.

Thanks to new mobile technology, OzHarvest is hoping to provide ‘virtual vans’ by connecting food donors with local charities on a regular basis to help feed hungry people across the country.

OzHarvest Founder and CEO, Ronni Kahn said the Google Impact Challenge is the perfect opportunity to kick-start a new innovative solution to address the ever-growing hunger crisis in Australia.

“I am staggered at how many people are still going hungry, whilst good food continually goes to waste. Every day we see the need in our communities and know that so many people are still struggling to access good food to feed their families, it’s heartbreaking.”

“Whilst OzHarvest is working hard to provide a regular supply of fresh and nutritious food, we do not have enough vans to reach everyone, so a digital solution is the answer if we are to have any hope of building a world free of hunger. It only takes two clicks to vote, so we hope everyone will realise the potential for this to make a huge difference,” said Ronni.

The Google Impact Challenge grant would enable the technology to be utilised to roll out food rescue across regional Australia allowing an additional 1.8 million kilos of food to be rescued, providing an extra 5.6 million meals in the first year.

Voting closes on 30 October! https://impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/australia2018/charities/ozharvest-aus