PLANS to get more Ricky’s Place type community kitchens off the ground in the Bega Valley and beyond have been given a boost thanks to Second Bite and Coles.
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Members of the Reaching Out Foundation Ross Williams and Peter Brickwood met with the manager of Coles Bega Denise Forth this week to discuss the donation of food through Second Bite.
Second Bite, which began in Melbourne in 2005, has partnered with Coles to distribute fresh produce and bakery goods that do not meet in-store quality, but are still safe and nutritious to eat.
In metropolitan centres, Second Bite picks up from Coles directly and delivers to soup vans, homeless shelters and community kitchens.
In areas such as the Bega Valley it connects with organisations like Reaching Out, which will use its own volunteers to pick up from Coles.
Earlier this month, Reaching Out held a successful meeting in Merimbula about the establishment of a community kitchen at the Merimbula Uniting Church similar to Ricky’s Place in Bega and Monty’s Place in Narooma.
The organisation wants to ensure homeless and socially isolated people in the Merimbula area can gain access to a nutritious meal, social engagement and, if need be, referral to other community services.
The Reaching Out Foundation is also interested in using its network of volunteers to expand on services offered in Eden, and beyond that is looking at establishing a community kitchen in Cooma.
Coles’ partnership with Second Bite, which has been going since 2010, has already resulted in over 6million kilograms of surplus fresh food being delivered to organisations across Australia.
Ms Forth said Bega Coles is looking forward to working with the Reaching Out Foundation, which will pick up from the supermarket three times a week once its volunteer roster is finalised.
“Bega Coles is always looking for ways to give back to the local community and it will be good to see produce that ordinarily might be wasted used to benefit people in need,” she said.
Neridah Llewelyn, NSW operations manager for Second Bite, said vulnerable people may have access to food, “but it is often of poor quality and promotes negative health outcomes”.
“The Reaching Out Foundation is on the same page as us in that it wants to serve healthy and nutritious meals to people and help to improve their lives,” she said.
Second Bite facilitates the donation of fresh produce and bakery products, but is currently trialling delivering deli products and meat to community kitchens in Melbourne.
The Reaching Out Foundation is interested in gaining more volunteers and can be contacted through http://reachingout.org.au/ or by phoning 6494 4452.