OzHarvest Mobile Market
This initiative was created by OzHarvest in response to emergency food relief funding to meet the need in regional communities following bushfires and the pandemic. The team worked alongside local charity groups to bring pop-up markets to life providing much needed fresh produce to people in need. The success of Mobile Market was a result of a dedicated team on the road and precious time donated by over 60 regional volunteer organisations.
Read the full report hereOzHarvest Mobile Market
This initiative was created by OzHarvest in response to emergency food relief funding to meet the need in regional communities following bushfires and the pandemic. The team worked alongside local charity groups to bring pop-up markets to life providing much needed fresh produce to people in need. The success of Mobile Market was a result of a dedicated team on the road and precious time donated by over 60 regional volunteer organisations.
Read the full report hereThe Mobile Market
The project was initially funded for six months but was extended several times due to the combined impact of bushfires and the pandemic, which created an urgent need for food relief to support regional NSW. The Mobile Market quickly became a staple support service for many people, offering much more than just food. Social connections, comforting smiles, and conversations became a regular part of this unique food relief.
2020-2021
The Mobile Market team predominantly serviced the Sapphire Coast and Snowy Valleys recovering from bushfires. The level of trauma experienced in these areas was unprecedented, as was the will to recover. Many food recipients lived in tents or on couches for years after the bushfires. Mental Health first aid became an essential skill for the team on the road.
2021-2022
Ever changing public health covid orders and an unforeseen mouse plague placed immense strain on more communities. Whilst continuing to support bushfire regions, the service expanded to the Riverina, Central West, Northern Tablelands and Narrabri Shires providing reprieve where other supply chains failed. The team continually adapted safety procedures to make sure isolated households received nutritious food.
2022-2023
Following the devastating floods of 2022, the Mobile Market relocated to help communities in the Northern Rivers region. Overwhelming messages of thanks from residents confirmed that consistent access to fresh food, along with a friendly face was often the highlight of recovery support for many households.
Meet some of our OMM family
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It has been absolutely wonderful to see the friendly faces from OzHarvest and regularly have a community gathering where each and every member would have a chat, catch up, share stories and be 100% grateful to be receiving support in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Samantha
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John visits properties between Wyndham and Cathcart with OzHarvest fruit and veggies in hand. His visits regularly reconnect him to people and has been the catalyst for a support network for people living with trauma, despite the long distances. Each delivery is a cuppa and a conversation that they all look forward to.
John
“
Your visits have made a big difference. There have been times when people have said that the timing has been brilliant as they were running out of food and didn’t have any money until the next week. So it has literally meant if they had food on the table or not.
Robyn