WOW Food! Inner West

Food waste is a major issue in the Inner West. There are local families experiencing hunger today as tonnes of perfectly good food is being thrown out. Our “War on Waste (WOW!) Food Inner West” campaign is all about fighting food waste in the Inner West and making healthy food more accessible to people experiencing food insecurity. We are diverting tonnes of good food from going to landfill. The food that we collect through our campaign and Addi Road Food Pantry service is passed on to some of the most vulnerable people in our local community, including people who are experiencing homelessness, unemployment, as well as students and others who find themselves struggling to put enough food on the table.

This project was supported by NSW EPA as part of Waste Less, Recycle More, funded from the waste levy.

What Can Be Donated?

View our WISHLIST of items we really need right now.
We currently are able to accept donations of fruit and vegetables, unopened packaged foods, household items (such as laundry detergent, cleaning products, personal products (shampoo, soap, sanitary goods, etc) and other miscellaneous household goods. Products close to ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ dates, excess and slow-moving stock or deleted lines, products incorrectly labelled, products with damaged packaging and sample and bulk produce are all accepted.

Who Can Donate?

We accept donations from primary producers, manufacturers, warehouses and distribution centres, wholesalers, agents and importers, Food service retailers and – of course – individuals and local community groups.

Contact Us

Please contact us to discuss or arrange collection on (02) 9569 7633.

Alternately you can contact the Food Pantry at Addison Road Community Centre Organisation by emailing us at foodpantry@addiroad.org.au

Addi Road hosts school excursions and workshops to learn about our WOW! Food Inner West project. To book an excursion or workshop, simply fill out our online booking form.

WOW! Food

Food waste is a major issue in the Inner West. There are local families experiencing hunger today as tonnes of perfectly good food is being thrown out. Our “War on Waste (WOW) Food! Inner West” campaign is all about fighting food waste in the Inner West and making healthy food more accessible to people experiencing food insecurity. We are diverting tonnes of good food from going to landfill. The food that we collect through our campaign and Addi Road Food Pantry service is passed on to some of the most vulnerable people in our local community, including people who are experiencing homelessness, unemployment, as well as students and others who find themselves struggling to put enough food on the table.

This project was supported by NSW EPA as part of Waste Less, Recycle More, funded from the waste levy.

What Can Be Donated?

We currently are able to accept donations of fruit and vegetables, unopened packaged foods, household items (such as laundry detergent, cleaning products, personal products (shampoo, soap, sanitary goods, etc) and other miscellaneous household goods. Products close to ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ dates, excess and slow-moving stock or deleted lines, products incorrectly labelled, products with damaged packaging and sample and bulk produce are all accepted.

Who Can Donate?

We accept donations from primary producers, manufacturers, warehouses and distribution centres, wholesalers, agents and importers, Food service retailers and – of course – individuals and local community groups.

Contact Us

Please contact us to discuss or arrange collection on (02) 9569 7633 or 0405 006 446

Alternately you can contact the Food Pantry at Addison Road Community Centre Organisation by emailing us at foodpantry@addiroad.org.au

Addi Road hosts school excursions and workshops to learn about our WOW! Food Inner West project. To book an excursion or workshop, simply fill out our online booking form.

Inner West Food Rescue Alliance.

Everyone knows we work better together so that is why we are connecting up with the many community service organisations across the Inner West who provide daily food relief for individuals and families. The Inner West Food Rescue Alliance, set up by Addi Road, will determine ways that we can all work together to recover more surplus food, share equipment and resources and reach out to more people in need. As it develops, the Alliance will provide even greater food security in our community.

$20 Billion Food Wasted Annually.

In Australia, we waste $20 billion worth of food annually, think about that for a second, and this year some 3.6 million Australians (15%) experienced food insecurity. Food insecurity is a major concern for society as it can impact negatively upon outcomes for children in the short and long term – including children’s academic ability and health issues including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. At a glance most affected are Indigenous people (24%); unemployed people (23%); single parent households (23%); and low-income earners (20%).

Donations Act.

The Civil Liability Amendment (Food Donations) Act 2005, known as the Good Samaritan Act, protects food donors by limiting the liability of individuals and businesses that donate food, providing they meet certain food safety conditions: The food is donated in good faith for a charitable or benevolent purpose; the food is safe to eat when it leaves the possession or control of the donor; the donor gives the charity any information it needs to ensure the ongoing safety of the food.

Inner West Food Rescue Alliance.

Everyone knows we work better together so that is why we are connecting up with the many community service organisations across the Inner West who provide daily food relief for individuals and families. The Inner West Food Rescue Alliance, set up by Addi Road, will determine ways that we can all work together to recover more surplus food, share equipment and resources and reach out to more people in need. As it develops, the Alliance will provide even greater food security in our community.

$20 Billion Food Wasted Annually.

In Australia, we waste $20 billion worth of food annually, think about that for a second, and this year some 3.6 million Australians (15%) experienced food insecurity. Food insecurity is a major concern for society as it can impact negatively upon outcomes for children in the short and long term – including children’s academic ability and health issues including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. At a glance most affected are Indigenous people (24%); unemployed people (23%); single parent households (23%); and low-income earners (20%).

Donations Act.

The Civil Liability Amendment (Food Donations) Act 2005, known as the Good Samaritan Act, protects food donors by limiting the liability of individuals and businesses that donate food, providing they meet certain food safety conditions: The food is donated in good faith for a charitable or benevolent purpose; the food is safe to eat when it leaves the possession or control of the donor; the donor gives the charity any information it needs to ensure the ongoing safety of the food.

About WOW Food Inner West

In 2018 Addison Road Community Centre received a grant from the EPA to undertake a War on Waste project in the Inner West. The ‘WOW Food! Inner West’ project aims to reduce good food waste going to landfill, and use this to help local people overcome food insecurity.

The project has three components:

A Study to work with local businesses to understand the barriers they experience in relation donating food, and to work together on strategies to overcome these;
A Campaign to encourage local businesses (particularly food wholesalers and retailers) to come on board and donate their surplus stock, including stock which has passed its ‘best before’ date, so it can be distributed to those in need;
The establishment of an Inner West Food Rescue Alliance to bring together local groups and not for profits who are supporting local individuals and families who are struggling to afford enough good food to eat, to best share the donated food.

The project started in late 2018 and will run until mid 2020..

Latest News

February 11, 2021 / featured, Food Rescue

Faces of Addi Road: Joe

"When I saw the story on TV I saw your van, I saw the writing. And these people I knew getting their food."

February 3, 2021 / featured, Food Rescue

Faces of Addi Road: Mary and Paul

"Working here ... you see a lot of people giving. It affects me a lot because it really does fill my heart with happiness to be in the middle of it all, helping out with everyone else." – Mary

February 1, 2021 / featured, Food Rescue

Faces of Addi Road: Estelle

Estelle has been volunteering at Addi Road Food Pantry Marrickville for the last year. “It’s been fun,” she says. “The people are nice. There’s such a variety of people from all steps of life who volunteer here ... "

January 21, 2021 / featured, Food Rescue

Food Security, Social Justice and Donna Summer

Towards the end of 2020 our Food Pantry Manager, Damien Moore, reckoned he’d been working so hard the time had come to drag him away “in a straitjacket singing that Donna Summer song, ‘Enough is Enough (I can't go on no more!)’. I mean, it has been a pretty full-on year.”

December 24, 2020 / featured, Food Rescue

Matthew’s Christmas Ecosystem

"There is more to it than the hampers. We’re helping people, and we’re helping one another. We’re bringing people together. Helping people has different meanings to different people,” Matthew says sagely. “It helped me just to be here.”

December 22, 2020 / featured, Food Rescue

Not Forgotten – Addi Road’s Hampers of Hope and Mobilising for Mogo

“The hardest part is that the majority of people are still learning how to ask for help. Even after all this time it does not come naturally to them.” – Sallianne McClelland, Mobilising for Mogo, #Hampers of Hope at Addi Road.

December 16, 2020 / featured, Food Rescue

Red Frogs pick up Hampers of Hope

Red Frogs have come in to pick up some of Addi Road’s ‘Hampers of Hope’. As Justin explains, they basically...

December 12, 2020 / featured, Food Rescue

Working Together on Hampers of Hope

The best gifts often have a story behind them. This coming week at Addi Road we will be putting together 1000 ‘Hampers of Hope’ for the holiday season...

December 5, 2020 / featured, Food Rescue

Raising Voices

"I do associate art with politics. I do sing political songs; but not pamphlet songs. I try to raise awareness of issues. I try to arouse critical thinking. I try to promote all the voices that are suppressed or that are not given an outlet.” - Justo Diaz

December 2, 2020 / featured, Food Rescue

The Man With No Face

“If I weren’t in community housing I’d be out in the streets. If I could not get good food at the prices I can here at the Food Pantry I’d starve. I’m separated, but I still have to look after the kids. They come stay with me. How can you sit at a table with your kids and have them say ‘I’d like something to eat’, and you can’t provide it? I’m eating now because of this place. I’m feeding my kids a decent a meal."

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Total Food Rescued 2019 financial year

26% above our Key Performance Indicator

Food Rescue Table

Thanks to all our Food Donors this month

Simmone Logue
Brickfields
Zoi Organic Bliss Balls
Jack Hanna
Good 360 – Rescue
Heinemann Duty Free
Fresh Basket

QE Paddington
QE St Leonards
QE Milsons Point
Pet’O
Spiral Foods
Serendipity
Ethical Grocer

Daily Fresh
Aldi Broadway
Aldi Waterloo
Oooby
Bread & Butter Project
IGA – Newtown
Bob & Petes

Thanks to all our donors
Addison Road Fruit & Veg, Aldi Leichhardt, Barilla Australia, Berger Ingredients, Bertocchi, Best and Less, Bob & Pete’s Yum Bakeries, Bread & Butter Project, Bundle Variety, Burwood Girls High School, Cafe 2204, Elizabeth Cage, Camdenville Public School, Channel Ten, CHOICE Magazine, Colyton Pharmacy, Clovelly Public School, Coogee Public School, Cornersmith Marrickville, Ethical Grocer-Enmore, EPIK Brands, Farmer Jo, Ferncourt Public School, Craig and Lara Foster, Fine Foods, The Fresh Basket-Newtown, Get and Give Project, The Generous and the Grateful, Grill’d Darling Harbour, Grill’d Leichhardt, Hampden Park Public School, H2coco, Hilton Sydney, IGA-Newtown, IGA-South Hurstville, Mark Isaacs, Italian Bowl-Newtown, Maggie’s Rescue, Maggie May Café, Minnie Mitroyiani, MKR Film Crew, Mummies Paying it Forward, Mums4Refugees Sydney, Veronica Nou, Orange Grove Public School, Parker Cleaning Services, PCYC Marrickville, Penny Appeal Australia, QE Foodstores -Randwick, QE Foodstores-Milsons Point, RSPCA, St Mary’s Public School, Sanitarium, Secondbite, Seet Dance Company, Serendipity Ice Cream, Seventh Street Ventures, Libby Shama, Spotted Cow, Sydney Special Children’s Christmas Party, Think Foods, Vic on the Park, Vanella Cheese, Wilkins Public School, Willie the Boatman, Wilson Street Dropbox

Get In Touch

Got a question or need to know more about something we do here? No matter if it’s a question big or small you can get in touch with us by sending us an email, filling out our online contact form or giving our friendly Centre staff a call. For more information on upcoming events check out our Facebook page.

	Submit An Online Inquiry
	Email Us
	Call Us
	Find Us On Facebook

Get In Touch

Got a question or need to know more about something we do here? No matter if it’s a question big or small you can get in touch with us by sending us an email, filling out our online contact form or giving our friendly Centre staff a call. For more information on upcoming events check out our Facebook page.

	Submit An Online Inquiry
	Email Us
	Call Us
	Find Us On Facebook