As part of our ongoing commitment at Scoop to showcase the great work dietitians do and the power of volunteerism, we asked our Sub of the Month to report on two, highly valuable programs focused on healthy food for all.
About our expert:
Tiffany Williams is a final year nutrition and dietetics student and the current Scoop Sub of the Month who has well and truly embraced social media. Check out her full bio here and connect with her on Twitter @TiffWill_Tweets.
It is with great pleasure that I bring you this post, as it combines two things which are very close to my heart: food security and volunteerism.
Did you know that over 5% of the Australian population are classified as being “food insecure”? Or that 6.3 million Australians volunteer a total of 836 million hours per year? Both staggering statistics, but in very different ways.
As a student, I love leaning about how experienced dietitians are generously giving their time and skills in ways that contribute to the community. The fabulous organisations and dietitians profiled here are working to provide nutritious food and meals to those in need.
OzHarvest
OzHarvest staff and volunteers do the hard yards to rescue excess food, which would otherwise be discarded, and distribute it directly to local charities. They started their operations in Sydney and now include Canberra, Newcastle, Adelaide and Brisbane.
Here are a few words from an OzHarvest Ambassador, restauranteur Bill Granger:
I was fortunate to speak with another OzHarvest Ambassador, Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) Gina Levy. She is helping the organisation hatch (pun intended!) their brand new Nutrition Education Sustenance and Training Program (NEST). This program provides agencies who receive donated food from OzHarvest with an opportunity to receive nutrition education and skills training through OzHarvest’s network of nutrition professionals. This is just another way OzHarvest can add value to the service they already provide, as a way of supporting the fantastic work agencies are already doing.
Q: Tell me a bit more about NEST…
NEST is a collaboration between OzHarvest staff, the volunteers who work in these programs, and trained nutrition professionals like myself, Eve Reed [APD] and Sharon Aaron [nutrition student]. It was designed to deliver simple cooking skills and nutrition education to both agency staff and the recipients of the food. This could mean teaching a small group of recipients who live in a shelter how to cook healthy food, or delivering education to cooks who prepare food for hundreds of people in some of the larger shelters. This year we’re piloting the program, in five agencies, and then next year we’ll be rolling it out nationally.
Q: In term of nutrition, which priority areas have you addressed with NEST?
The program is delivered in two hour modules. In our first module we look at delivering information about the five food groups and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Our second module is looking at cooking on a budget. Then we’ve got the third module, which is an optional one, and it’s for the agencies which house women and children. It covers feeding tips from infancy right through to lunchbox ideas.
Q: What is is that you love about OzHarvest and NEST? What inspired your involvement?
First thing I’ll say – what isn’t there to love about the program? I first learnt about OzHarvest when I heard their founder Ronni Kahn speak at a function. She’s the most inspiring and passionate person. So it was then and there that I decided that with all my years of study and hard work to become a dietitian, which set me up in my career, I felt like I needed something more meaningful to me and to really help others. I guess this is the perfect synergy between our knowledge and helping others.
Q: Is there an opportunity for others to be involved with NEST?
ANYONE can get involved. I would encourage dietitians and nutritionists to really, really get involved. Sign up as a volunteer, talk to the wonderful staff about how you can help. We’d love you to be available to help volunteers deliver the NEST program.
Q: What advice would you give to other food rescue charities around the globe who want to include a nutrition element in their work?
The best advice I can give is to get out there and do it. It doesn’t need to be complicated. The difficult work is really up front, with developing the tools, but after the educators have been trained the programs can pretty much run themselves.
FareShare
FareShare, a Melbourne-based food rescue charity, also receive food donations. They are unique in that their dedicated team of chefs and volunteers turn a large proportion of this donated food into nutritious meals, which are promptly distributed to a number of local charities and community groups. They also run community programs, including a hands-on food security workshop for primary school students.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at what FareShare do:
I had a chat with with Karen Inge, Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and FareShare Ambassador, to hear about her volunteer role with this food rescue organisation.
Q: Tell me a bit more about your involvement with FareShare…
My role as an ambassador is to ensure that the food FareShare rescue and distribute is as nutritious as possible. It’s firstly understanding who the recipients are, then working with the chefs to make the meals more nutritious. Another part of my role is trying to find the gaps in the food that they rescue and then finding sources through my networks, whether that’s farmers or restaurants or suppliers. I’m also using my media profile to try and create awareness of FareShare and the importance of not wasting food.
Q: In term of nutrition, which priority areas have you worked to address with FareShare?
I’m still in my first year, so I’m in research and development mode! At the moment, I’m coming up with a nutrition philosophy for the kitchen to abide by. I have titled it a “philosophy” rather than a “policy”, because it really needs to be very flexible and very fluid. We’ve got to remember that some recipients will require more energy, so the meals might not fit with strict dietary guidelines, but what I’m trying to do is work out a philosophy whereby the nutritional offering of all meals is improved and meals are targeted to meet the needs of certain groups.
Q: What inspired your involvement with FareShare?
I think it’s a human right to have access to healthy food. After being a dietitian for 30 odd years, and volunteering my time with various community projects over the years, I wanted to use my experience and continue to give back. It upsets me personally when we worry about people overseas being hungry, but we’ve certainly got people who are very disadvantaged in our own cities.
Q: Is there an opportunity for others to be involved with FareShare?
It’s really good if we, as dietitians, can get involved with organisations such as FareShare and help in a volunteer capacity. I think we should all be mindful of volunteering – it should just be a part of the way we balance our lives and it is really important to give back in some way.
Q: What advice would you give to other food rescue charities around the globe who want to include a nutrition element in their work?
My general advice to food rescue charities is not to forget about nutrition, but consider it as an integral part of food rescuing. I’d be very surprised if food rescue charities weren’t concerned about nutrition. I think they are very aware that sometimes the meals they’re delivering might be the recipients’ only meal for the day, which means the organisations really need to make every mouthful count by making foods as nutritious as possible.
Where to from here?
Wow – what interesting and insightful responses from both Gina and Karen! Hearing their passion and enthusiasm for giving back to the community makes my heart sing. I hope their words have inspired you to consider how you could volunteer your time and/or skills for the greater good. Some other Australian food rescue organisations are Foodbank (Australia wide), FoodRescue (WA) and SecondBite (Vic, Tas and Qld).
Editor’s comment:
Thanks Tiff, great post and it’s been so wonderful having you on board this month. Thanks also to Gina and Karen for giving up their time to be interviewed. Now it’s your turn, readers, to share your experiences. What food or nutrition related volunteering have you been involved with? What inspired your involvement? Maybe you have plans to start volunteering? If you’re reading from outside Oz, don’t be shy, you know we always LOVE hearing a global perspective here at Scoop.
