The Hampers of Hope program saw a meteoric rise in 2019, which is why they were lavished with praise at the 2020 Australia Day Awards.
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Since they were launched in 2017, the program has put food on the table for struggling families while also protecting the environment in one fell swoop.
That's why Hampers of Hope took out two categories this Australia Day: the community project of the year and the new environmental citizen of the year award.
With the help of a dedicated team of volunteers, the program rescues food from local shops and farms that would otherwise end up getting binned.
It's all perfectly good food; much of it is food that has passed a shop's "display date" but is still well within the use-by date.
That food gets put into hampers, bundled into a van, and then delivered to members of the community who need it the most.
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Coordinator Tenille Valensisi said the program really took off in 2019 thanks to a grant from the NSW Environmental Protection Agency, which allowed them to get a new van and a project coordinator.
Ms Valensisi said it was also thanks to the local shops and farms who donate the food, the community groups that highlight people in need, and the volunteers who put in the hard yards to keep the program running.
"We'd like to thank... the volunteers who make it all happen, the drivers who collect the food, the packers who create the hampers," she said.
"Through this program we've been able to rescue approximately 300 kilograms of food per day, making 35 hampers or over 156,000 individual meals for disadvantaged members of the community," she said.
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It has been Australia's lost summer. Drought, hail, floods and, worst of all, bushfires have ravaged communities all over the nation. But the selfless actions of friends, family, neighbours, strangers, local groups and volunteer organisations have inspired us and strengthened the bonds of community. Please join us in saying thanks to the heroes of the home front by sharing your stories of gratitude. To salute a person or a group, please use the form below.