FareShare are an organisation based in Melbourne and Brisbane who provide free meals to those in need and most vulnerable.
In Victoria they operate a fleet of refrigerated vans which collect surplus and donated food from supermarkets, wholesalers and manufacturers while in Brisbane, Foodbank also supplies FareShares kitchen with surplus food.
Among the collection of donated foods, FareShare also operate three kitchen gardens which are tended to by volunteers and produce about 40 tonnes of vegetables per year.
With the harvesting of these vegetables along with collected and donated meats, eggs and dairy items, they are then turned into delicious and nutritious meals. FareShares volunteers ensure these meals are packed with as much protein and fresh vegetables as possible, cooking meals including curries, pastas, casseroles, soups. The Melbourne kitchen also prepares a popular line of savoury pastries such as vegetable rolls, sausage rolls and quiches. All of these under the direction and supervision of experienced chefs.
FareShare manages to cook more than 5,000 meals a day with a strong volunteer workforce. These meals are then distributed to more than 400 charities including soup vans, homeless shelters, women's refuges, schools in disadvantaged communities and RSLs.
The meals are given out free to those who may be experiencing food poverty and unable to afford nutritious meals themselves. For many of these people it may be the only meal they have for that day which is why FareShare takes a great level of care to ensure they do everything they can to make it as nutritional as possible.
As Off Ya Tree moves in a more ethical and environmentally conscious direction, we have partnered with FareShare to bring our customers a way to contribute to both our community and environment.
We have come together to create an Eco tote bag, made with 100% cotton. Not only does this keep plastic bags from landfill and give a great option for reusable bags, but $1 from every single bag sold goes to FareShare to give them the support they need to continue to help and feed those in need.
To read more about FareShare, head on over to www.fareshare.net.au
