Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, have just announced the opening of a pop-up supermarket in Sydney, which will stock food that would otherwise go to waste. The innovative venture is the first of its kind in Australia and builds on OzHarvest’s commitment to reduce food waste and address food security issues.

Despite OzHarvest saving over 87 tonnes of food from going to landfill each week and delivering it to 900+ charities, there was still leftover food remaining. “We had so much surplus food and produce that we realised we had enough to open Australia’s first rescued food supermarket,” says OzHarvest’s CEO and founder Ronni Khan. “The idea is that people can take what they need and give what they can.”

The supermarket is housed on the ground floor of the TOGA Addison Project, which is a pop-up accommodation near Randwick Racecourse for vulnerable young people. Property group TOGA has donated the retail space to OzHarvest while waiting for council approval on proposed developments. “The hotel is offered to vulnerable people as temporary accommodation,” says Khan. “We are running the supermarket downstairs, which is open to the public.”

The entire site is one that will enable people to get back on their feet. In addition to the accommodation and supermarket, those staying will also have access to Thread Together, a clothing rescue service that provides new clothing to vulnerable people. Social enterprise Orange Sky laundry will provide on-site laundry services.

Khan is optimistic that this inventive undertaking will inspire other developers throughout the country. “Hopefully there’s an opportunity for other OzHarvest markets to pop up,” she says. “It’s a great chance for those in the industry to be inspired by what TOGA has offered in Sydney.”

OzHarvest hopes that the spirit of generosity showed by TOGA is also reflected in the local community. “There are lots of different ways for people to contribute to the OzHarvest market,” says Khan. “Our store is run by volunteers, so we need people to stack shelves, to help with cleaning and to organise stock. It’s a really exciting time, but we will need support.”

Reciprocity has always been at the heart of OzHarvest, and Khan is excited about the exchange of skills and produce that will be central to the success of the endeavour. “If you have tins, cans or pasta in your pantry that you’re not going to use, bring it down to us,” says Khan. “There’s someone whose belly will be full tonight because of your donation.”

The OzHarvest Market opens April 27 can be found at 147 Anzac Parade, Kensington, NSW. It will be open each weekday from 10am-2pm. 

For more information or to get involved go to: www.ozharvest.org/market