After working with the NT government on the introduction of the Good Samaritan Act in 2010, SecondBite has been supporting Baptcare and the local Foodbank NT, under the direction of Peter Fisher. Foodbank NT is now part of the Coles Community Food with SecondBite program (Peter and Foodbank NT were one of the pilot agencies on the program that provided invaluable advice and data).

With the SecondBite Community Connect™ model, we will be looking to provide outer urban, regional and remote communities access to fresh surplus food.

This is an exciting year for SecondBite nationally, and with a dedicated team of volunteers, staff and supporters, we look forward to working with local food donors and recipient agencies on improving fresh food access across Australia.

If you are operating a community food program in NT and looking for food, please click here

If you are a potential food donor in NT looking to donate please click here

If you are interested in volunteering, please email emily@secondbite.org

SecondBite only began operating in NSW and the ACT in mid 2012 but already we are facilitating the collection of over 40,000 kg of fresh nutritious food each month! This of course highlights the great opportunity for SecondBite in NSW and the ACT.  There is certainly plenty of fresh food currently going to waste and sadly a growing demand for food relief services.

 Much of the food we rescue is done so through the SecondBite Community Connect™  model. Around 50 towns across regional NSW and the ACT are being supported under this model, where we connect cash- strapped agencies with local food donors to supply them with much-needed food for their food relief programs. Over summer we have particularly focused on making connections in the Newcastle, Hunter and Gloucester area and welcome all of these new agencies to the program. We continue to roll out this program across NSW, with Coles acting as the main food donor to date, through the Coles Community Food with SecondBite initiative. 

In metropolitan Sydney and the Illawarra we are partnering with some terrific organisations, who are undertaking local collections on our behalf as part of Coles Community Food with SecondBite – Salvation Army Streetlevel, Parramatta Mission and The Hope Centre Food Barn. It takes a team effort to redistribute food across a state, and we are very pleased to be working closely with our sector friends in reducing waste and providing fresh food to these high impact community food programs. In Sydney we also run our own driver and van, collecting food that would otherwise go to waste from a variety of donors and delivering to a small number of Sydney agencies, predominantly in south-west Sydney. Our van is currently operating at full capacity in terms of deliveries, but as the agencies we service always need more food than we can supply, we welcome hearing from new potential fresh food donors.

Although SecondBite is only new to NSW and the ACT we are already making a difference and we thank Foodbank NSW who has given such support and encouragement in these early days.  In 2013 we hope to be able to expand our van service to agencies in metropolitan Sydney so stay tuned for updates.

In The Beginning

SecondBite established in Queensland in July 2011, and by year's end had redistributed 9,500 kg of fresh food to local community food programs. 2012 saw unprecedented growth with participation from our agencies. We are now supplying 84 agencies with a regular delivery of free, fresh nutritious fruit, vegetables and bread. 

To date SecondBite Queensland has rescued over 185,000 kg of food that would otherwise have gone to waste. This food is enough to provide 370,000 meals to the most vulnerable people in our communities. 

Our move to Queensland was in response to a feasibility study we conducted with the help of local volunteers, which highlighted at that time 49 community food programs were in need of the SecondBite service in Brisbane alone, and many more could be reached around the state via our award-winning SecondBite Community Connect™ model.

In January 2012 we welcomed Daniel Arklay, Food Program Manager Queensland to the local team, moving from his previous role as Geelong Operations Coordinator. We later welcomed Ben McKay to the team as our full-time driver in October. Ben’s enthusiasm and people-skills have already had a positive impact on the relationships with our donors and recipients.

The Programs

Look out for the SecondBite van, kindly donated by the Dyson Bequest, and with refrigeration, on-road costs and maintenance donated by the Norris Group, buzzing around the streets of Brisbane as we continue to expand our community support nationally. With the SecondBite Community Connect™ model, we will be providing regional communities access to fresh surplus food, and with the release of Coles Community Food with SecondBite, if a community food program is located near a Coles store, we can enable access to surplus fresh produce from that store.

Supporters

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing supporters in Queensland. Firstly our  dedicated Advisory Committee: Michael Owen, Flavia Gobbo, Lizzie Loel, Ned Draydon and Helen Hensman.

Our pro bono supporters, Norris Group, QUT, Costa, Food Connect, Mr T Transport and Logistics, Corrs and PPB Advisory. Also a huge thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers, including Hannah and Ash, our placement students who did a wonderful job for SecondBite with their report. And finally a huge thank you to Bob Bryan and The Bryan Foundation, one of our most generous supporters who truly believes in the work we do.

Without the help of these generous and dedicated people, SecondBite Queensland could not possibly achieve our aim of helping people in need.

The Future

2012 was a fulfilling year for SecondBite Queensland, and we look forward to working with local food donors and recipient agencies on improving fresh food access across the state in 2013. It will be a very busy and exciting 2013 as we continue to have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable people in our community. 

Food is a simple medium through which powerful positive change can take place within our community, and if the food supply was sustainable, and all Australians had access, SecondBite would no longer need to exist. It is to this end that we work every day.

Contact Us

If you are operating a community food program in Queensland and looking for food, please click here

If you are a potential food donor in Queensland looking to donate please click here

If you are interested in volunteering, please click here

The SecondBite Community Connect™ model provides outer-urban, regional and remote communities access to fresh surplus food. Our national partnership with Coles - Coles Community Food with SecondBite, means that if a community food program is located near a Coles store, we can enable access to surplus fresh produce from that store.

Part of this national program is to maximise efficiency and avoid duplication. We do this by working with a number of community providers across the country. Those in SA familiar with food rescue would be well aware of FoodBank and the work they do. SecondBite will provide FoodBank  access to a large number of Coles stores to enable the collection and redistribution of surplus fresh food across the state. This collaboration ensures the most economical and efficient roll out of the program.

This is an exciting year for SecondBite nationally, and with a dedicated team of volunteers, staff and supporters, we look forward to working with local food donors and recipient agencies on improving fresh food access across Australia.

If you are operating a community food program in SA and looking for food, please click here

If you are a potential food donor in SA looking to donate please click here

If you are interested in volunteering? please click here  emily@secondbite.org

In April 2008, SecondBite began talks with the Tasmanian Government regarding the introduction of a Good Samaritan Act to allow food businesses to donate quality produce to not-for-profit community groups free from common law liability. Tasmania was one of only two states in Australia not to have an Act of this type. In June of that year, the Premier David Bartlett tabled the legislation and the Civil Liability Amendment Bill 2008 was passed. Mr. Bartlett also announced a grant to allow SecondBite to start distributing food around the state.

Tasmania is powering forward thanks to the dedication of the Tassie team, our wonderful volunteers and supporters. In 2012, SecondBite redistributed 445,710 kg of fresh surplus food to agencies in need in Tasmania. SecondBite Tasmania has been able to secure a very welcomed upturn in quality and quantity of food donated from not only supermarkets, but from an array of distributors. This flow in quantity of food enabled an increase in the growth base of 36 recipients to 78 recipient agencies. On average, Tasmania now redistributes an average of 56,500 kg a month.

Some recent highlights include:

Our partnerships with CostaLogistics, SRT, Hazell Brothers and primary producers like Premium Fresh. These partnerships have created a formidable logistics model to enable the efficient distribution of surplus fresh food throughout Tasmania. 

SecondBite prides itself on doing so much more than just redistributing fresh food. In Tasmania, SecondBite is collaborating with a number of recipient agencies to enhance existing food programs, develop new programs and to provide the logistics to enable the efficient redistribution of food to Emergency Food Relief (EFR) services and Community Food Programs. SecondBite is collaborating with frontline welfare agency Anglicare and Youth Health South (a service run by the Department of Health and Human Services) to deliver the Food Angels program. The program pairs weekly food deliveries to families experiencing food insecurity, with education about the food via facilitators who encourage the participants to cook and prepare their own meals with the ingredients supplied by SecondBite. The first program of its kind in Tasmania, Food Angels commenced in March 2011.

Volunteer support has been provided by various Rotary Clubs, (founding partners in Tasmania), Lions Clubs and a regular band of volunteers from the community. Without the support of volunteers, SecondBite would not be able to provide the current quantities of food to over 78 programs across the entire state of Tasmania..

The SecondBite Community Connect model, provides outer urban, regional and remote communities access to fresh surplus food. Our national partnership with Coles - Coles Community Food with SecondBite™, means that if a community food program is located near a Coles store, we can enable access to surplus fresh produce from that store.

Part of this national program is to maximise efficiency and avoid duplication. We do this by working with a number of community providers across the country. Those in WA familiar with food rescue would be well aware of organisations FoodBank and WA Food Rescue and the work they do.

SecondBite provides WA Food Rescue access to a large number of Coles stores to enable the collection and redistribution of surplus fresh food across the metros areas, and work with FoodBank on regional and remote communities. This collaboration ensures the most economical and efficient roll out of the program.

This is an exciting year for SecondBite nationally, and with a dedicated team of volunteers, staff and supporters, we look forward to working with local food donors and recipient agencies on improving fresh food access across Australia.

If you are operating a community food program in WA and looking for food, please click here

If you are a potential food donor in WA looking to donate please click here

If you are interested in volunteering? please click here  emily@secondbite.org

   Dear Katy 
 
   Thank you to you and your staff for taking the time to share so much information with Food Rescue.  It was  a privilege and I have come away with vital information that will help us grow and become better at what we do.
 
   Your staff are amazing and have the same openness and desire to help as you do.
They were all so knowledgeable and clearly enjoy what they do.
 
   I hope I get the opportunity to visit again.
 
   Thanks again

   Samantha Wates, General Manager - Food Rescue WA