OzHarvest is one of those wonderful organisations that is attempting to fill a huge negatively geared void that comes from our current way of life. En masse food production and accessibility to food products has meant that we’re never far away from some sort of quick food fix. We have, and are continuing to lose respect for the fact that food is grown, it requires great quantities of energy and power to both grow and distribute, and that essentially it is not an infinite resource.

For the majority of Australians, we literally can eat whenever we want. This means that there is also a loss of recognition and thought when it comes to disposing of our waste, and even disposing of resources that are by no means waste. Many people are throwing out perfectly good food, frequently, and probably giving little thought to it. It’s as though the socially aware conscience that humans do have, is slowly being de-sensitised. Maybe what my mum used to tell me when I was little, about the children in Africa who had nothing to eat still hits a nerve with me. But the stark reality is that despite Australia boasting a very high standard of living, there are still people who aren’t able to feed themselves regularly or easily. This is where OzHarvest comes in. They believe wholeheartedly that food should not go to waste. Rather, that through re-distributing excess food, they can create a resource for those in need, while ensuring that thousands of kilograms of food are not unnecessarily disposed of, ending up in landfill.

The numbers are phenomenal – OzHarvest currently delivers 266,000 meals per month within Sydney, and nationally it’s 333,000 meals per month. The new NSW Government initiative, LoveFoodHateWaste suggests that each NSW household throws away more than $1,000 of food per year. Across the state, that totals 800,000 tonnes per year! I personally find it completely obscene, so am so glad to see OzHarvest doing something to negate all the waste. Naturally there are hundreds of tips about how you can reduce your individual waste, but that’s worth it’s own attention another time!

Therefore I was excited to hear about the CEO Cook Off – a joint initiative between OzHarvest, Mission Australia and Qantas. The event brings together CEOs, partnering them with celebrity chefs to cook meals for over 1000 people in need. If the idea of Neil Perry cooking alongside Qantas’ Alan Joyce doesn’t naturally get you excited, think again – a famous face can bring in the big bucks, and for an organisation like OzHarvest, that’s not a bad thing. Just as an aside, I’m happy to say that the CEO of the organisation that I work for as my day job, is registered and totally ready to cook up a storm. If you’re interested and want to encourage you’re manager or CEO to get involved, get moving – registrations are still open, but not for long. Alternatively, pick a CEO and make a donation to them – the proceeds will go to supporting both OzHarvest and Mission Australia who both work to help Australians in need.

When: Monday 6th Feb from 5:30pm – 10pm
Where: Sydney– sadly not open to the public unless you’re participating in the event

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author