A year on from its launch, the Food Rescue Central West [FRCW] regional distribution project has grown into a beneficial operation rescuing and preserving food products for the benefit of regional charities.
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The project services food charities across Bathurst, Lithgow, Oberon, Orange, Molong, Parkes, Cowra and Canowindra, with local organisations Hope Care and The Greens on William major facilitators.
Carter Property Group helped Hope Care secure a larger storage facility at Littlebourne Street in Kelso at a fraction of the market rate, which operations and welfare services manager Elliot Redwin says has played a major role in the project's growth.
"This space has enabled us to set up proper warehousing equipment, and our food storage capacity has increased by 200 per cent," Mr Redwin said.
"We've also received generous food donations from the likes of Simplot and Lindt in Sydney, and we're now in a position where we can look at further expanding our reach across the region."
The project mainly repurposes non-perishable food items, but also redistributes fresh fruit and vegetables and frozen produce with misprinted use-by dates, which may otherwise end up in landfill.
Mr Redwin said the larger space has also enabled Hope Care to deepen its local welfare footprint.
"We use this facility to house furniture to assist people in-between homes who are escaping domestic violence or other family issues," he said.
"The facility also helps The Greens on William house excess FRCW donations."
Mr Redwin said Hope Care's delivery capabilities [the organisation plays a central role in regional food distribution] have also expanded in the past 12 months.
"We've just procured a cold storage van to assist us in making smaller deliveries that don't fill up our truck," he said.
"The truck continues to be an asset to us, but the van provides us with greater flexibility and cost efficiency when it comes to delevering to smaller agencies."
Mr Redwin said further expansion will be the key priority over the next 12 months.
"We'd like to reach out to agencies towards Dubbo and further west, as well as help existing agencies build up their capacity," he said.
For more information, visit the Food Rescue Central West Facebook page.
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