Funded by the NSW Government, the WOW project has enabled ARCO to work more closely with donors, to respond to the needs and challenges around donating surplus food.
Special guests at the launch included the Minister for Energy and Environment, Matthew Kean, Federal Opposition Leader and Grayndler MP Anthony Albanese and Summer Hill MP Jo Haylen.
Key guests also included local business food donors, as well as organisations working in alliance with ARCCO to provide food relief.
Minister Kean is a big supporter of ARCCO’s food rescue program, recently launching a film featuring a day-in-the-life of the Food Pantry; he also made a surprise announcement that he was donating $93,000 to help expand WOW.
ARCCO CEO Rosanna Barbero said: “The food justice movement is growing and reshaping how we organise ourselves.
“Food insecurity is a global issue – it can happen to anyone. Addi Road is addressing it locally by rescuing food and diverting it from land fill onto the tables of countless local families every day.
“Customers have doubled over the last year to an average of 750 plus individuals a week. With two thirds shopping for their families or house-holds, we estimate we are now feeding 1,500 to 2,000 people every week.”
The Addison Road Community Organisation Food Pantry rescues 1.8 tonnes of food from landfill every week.