Food donation program expands for Christmas

Tasty Fresh Food Co, a lunch van service that sells hot and cold food to building site, factory and office workers, is celebrating 20 years of working with the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies). The partnership has seen the company donate over $20 million in food stock to help feed people in need through the Vinnies Soup Van program in Victoria.

The Australian foodservice industry throws away an average of 23% of the food they buy for business every year, which generates more than 5.25 million tonnes of food waste annually. Tasty Fresh Food Co’s partnership with Vinnies Soup Vans directly addresses the issues of leftover food waste and its associated costs, distributing any leftover prepackaged food to Vinnies Soup Vans to feed the homeless and marginalised in inner-city areas.

“Our customers love knowing that the food they see every day isn’t simply thrown in the bin at the end of the day,” said Tasty Fresh Food Co CEO and founder Colin Lear. “With Tasty Fresh Food Co, they can eat their lunch knowing that any food not purchased will be given to people less fortunate, which plays a major role in repeat custom.”

“Our volunteers spend considerable time preparing food 365 days a year, and donations from the Tasty Fresh Food Co make their job much quicker and easier,” added Danusia Kaska, soup van operations manager for the St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria.

In the lead-up to Christmas, Tasty Fresh Food Co and Vinnies are expanding their partnership with a major giving initiative. Close to 1000 backpacks containing essential items like water bottles, gloves, socks, baseball caps and beanies have been distributed across Melbourne, Sydney and Perth to people in need.

“As Australia prepares for the festive season, it is critical that we don’t forget members of our community who are less fortunate, such as people who don’t have a bed to sleep in every night,” said Kaska.

Lear added, “Tasty Fresh Food Co is proud of our ongoing commitment to the Vinnies Soup Van program and supporting the critical work they undertake with people less fortunate.”