Teamwork, Cooking and Community: Volunteering with OzHarvest

Over the past month, Adelaide PHN staff have taken part in volunteering activities with OzHarvest, which relies on an incredible network of volunteers to fight food waste and feed vulnerable communities.

On 20 November, we had a small group visit the OzHarvest kitchen for Cooking for a Cause, learning zero-waste cooking skills while transforming rescued ingredients into gourmet meals.

We prepared three separate dishes totalling 120 meals with the help of OzHarvest volunteers, before being packed up to deliver to local charities. This resulted in 62kg of food saved from going into landfill and 62kg of CO2 stopped, reducing global warming.

It was a fun, team-building activity for our staff that also provided delicious meals for those in need.

Our Communications Officer Jessica Bevan also had the opportunity to volunteer as a van assistant, joining their dedicated drivers on food rescue routes throughout Adelaide.

Here's Jessica's experience:

My van driver for the day was Justin, one of OzHarvest's dedicated workers who has been with the organisation for over 10 years. The morning started at 7am at the Hindmarsh head office, and I was kitted out for the day in the iconic yellow OzHarvest volunteer t-shirt and high vis vest.

From there, we hit the road. The first stop was the back dock of a supermarket at Tea Tree Plaza in Modbury. As we worked, Justin shared his inspiring story of transitioning from a primary school teacher to an OzHarvest driver after a health challenge. For him, the role is deeply rewarding, knowing every rescued item makes a real difference in the community.

Behind the scenes, the reality of food waste was confronting. Each supermarket had massive landfill bins overflowing with unsold food, much of it not even sorted into green waste. Donations, while appreciated, were only a fraction of what could have been saved. Some stores had nothing to give, while others made food rescue part of their daily routine – a positive sign of change.

I was thrilled to lend a hand rescuing food from major supermarkets across the northern suburbs, from Tea Tree Plaza to Munno Para and many stops in between. On just this one route, we helped rescue and distribute over 8,000kgs of food to local organisations, charities, childcare centres, and a small school.

The warm smiles and gratitude from staff and volunteers at each stop were a true highlight of the day and knowing that the food was directly going to feed people in vulnerable communities.

Adelaide PHN is proud to partner with OzHarvest, supporting a FEAST Coordinator in South Australia, to help bring its food education program to even more schools throughout the state, which explores the issue of food waste and its environmental impact, positive food choices and easy classroom cooking.