Adelaide Convention Centre is helping to feed thousands of hungry South Australians by donating unused food through a new partnership with Foodbank SA.
In its first pickup of freshly prepared, frozen food tomorrow (Wednesday, 23 July), enough soup and casseroles to feed 1250 people will be given to Foodbank SA, the State's largest hunger-relief organisation.
Foodbank is a non-denominational, charitable organisation which sources donated and surplus food from the food and grocery industry to distribute to welfare and community agencies that provide assistance to people in need.
It is the first time in South Australia that a non-food manufacturing company has agreed to regularly donate food to Foodbank and follows months of careful planning and discussions with the Department of Health to ensure best practice and compliance with food safety laws.
"It's ironic and sad that thousands of high quality meals are thrown away by countless organisations every day in South Australia when people in our society are going hungry," Adelaide Convention Centre Chief Executive Alec Gilbert says.
"Our food is prepared by award-winning chefs and is not only delicious but highly nutritious and staff and management are delighted to be able to assist the community in this way."
Soup, casseroles and other donated meals are made available when event organisers overestimate delegate numbers, overcatering for events and meetings. Donated food does not include leftovers from plates or buffets, which instead are fed to the Centre's worm farm - known as the "organic digester" and able to hold up to 800,000 worms - which produces fertiliser to sustain ACC's drought tolerant garden.
Foodbank General Manager Leigh Royans said the Convention Centre had shown an enormous amount of initiative by contacting Foodbank and offering to donate the food.
"We were really impressed that the Convention Centre was prepared to look at its existing business practices and ask 'by doing things differently, is there an opportunity for us to assist people less fortunate than ourselves?'," he said.
"There's a heck of a lot of effort required in a commercial kitchen environment to make these meal donations happen - and a big commitment by the organisation. If others involved in the food preparation industry can be encouraged to follow the Convention Centre's example, we could make a huge difference."
Media inquiries: Jodie van Deventer, Deventer PR & Communications, on 0427 408 588 or jodie@deventer.com.au
