Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future

This World Food Day, we are celebrating the partnerships that make fresh, nutritious food accessible across Adelaide

World Food Day's 2025 theme, "Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future," perfectly captures what happens when communities work together to fight food insecurity. Since January 2024, Fruit Share Adelaide has rescued over 30,000 kilograms of fresh produce from backyards and farms across South Australia, distributing it to more than 70 partner food relief organisations. However, the real impact isn't just measured in kilograms – it’s in the collaborative spirit that drives our food rescue network.

We spoke with some of our partner organisations to understand how these partnerships strengthen food security and reduce waste across Adelaide.

Fresh produce makes all the difference

For many food relief organisations, securing enough fresh fruit and vegetables is an ongoing challenge. Derek Gladigau from Oasis Family Church puts it plainly: "We cannot get enough food to service the requirements of our client base. Anything Fruit Share Adelaide is able to give us helps our community and those battling food insecurity."

Hannah Jewell from Macclesfield Community Pantry echoes this, explaining that they receive variable amounts of fresh produce through other channels. "Any and all fresh produce donated to the pantry reduces how much we need to buy with our funds. We receive no regular funding and rely on donations."

For OzHarvest's Stefan Arkadianos, the partnership enhances their capacity significantly: "Fruit Share Adelaide enhances our ability to support the community by supplying high-quality fresh fruit to our free on-site market and to the 130 agencies we assist each week."

Orange donation at Oasis Food Pantry

Why fresh, nutritious food matters

Access to quality food isn't just about filling bellies, it's about nourishment and dignity. As Hannah from Macclesfield Community Pantry explains, "Unfortunately, it is cheaper to eat unhealthy food and processed food. We want to help people eat better, fresher food to be healthier and happier. When people are well nourished, they are going to have better physical and mental health."

OzHarvest takes this commitment seriously, maintaining a food balance of 90% or higher. "People experiencing food insecurity often lack the means to obtain healthy options -directly impacting their health," Stefan notes. "The food we provide is both nourishing and supporting of long-term wellbeing."

The dual impact: Fighting waste and hunger

Every piece of rescued fruit serves a double purpose. OzHarvest rescues over 25,000 kilograms of food each week in Adelaide alone, giving surplus food a second life while supporting those facing food insecurity. Derek from Oasis Family Church emphasises the importance of partnerships: "By partnering with organisations like Fruit Share Adelaide, SecondBite, and Foodbank SA, we ensure as close to nothing is wasted."

Even unavoidable food waste finds purpose. "We have several clients who take as much of our waste as possible to feed their animals," Derek adds, demonstrating the community's resourcefulness in ensuring nothing goes unused.

Macclesfield Community Pantry supports around 40 households weekly, distributing food that would otherwise be wasted or fed to livestock, a practical example of the circular food economy in action.

More than just food

What stands out across all these partnerships is that food relief is about more than distributing groceries. For Macclesfield Community Pantry, being non-judgmental in service delivery is paramount. "We don't just provide food," Hannah explains. "We also offer friendship, a cuppa and chat, and have information available on community and support services. We aim to help people experiencing loneliness and other issues through social contact and referrals."

For OzHarvest, it's about building lasting relationships with partner agencies while sticking to their four pillars: Rescue, Educate, Engage, and Innovate. Ian Morse from Penny Wise Spending, which assists approximately 1,500 people per month, sums up the partnership simply: "Would be lost without you."

A vision for the future

As we mark World Food Day, Hannah from Macclesfield Community Pantry shares an important vision: greater government support for food relief coordination. "Food insecurity is a growing problem in Australia. It shouldn't be left up to volunteers to do this work," she emphasises. "With good support, multiple organisations could work together to achieve food rescue from big market gardening farmers."

Stefan from OzHarvest encourages everyone to "think about why we are throwing food out and whether we can re-use it" - a simple yet powerful call to action.

For Fruit Share Adelaide, World Food Day reminds us that our 100% volunteer-driven model works because of these partnerships. From backyard trees to commercial farms, our growing network of over 200 volunteers has already collected more than 19,200 kilograms in 2025, a 65% increase from our first year.

Working hand in hand with food relief organisations across Adelaide, we are proving that community-driven food rescue can create meaningful change. Together, we are not just rescuing food, we are building a more sustainable, connected, and food-secure future for South Australia.

Get involved: info@fruitshareadelaide.com.au