The Nourish Project rescues surplus food from landfill and transforms this donated food into nutritious meals which are distributed and provided free to people in need. The program also saves 1 tonne of food from going to landfill each month!
About the project
In September 2020 five Neighbourhood Houses in Maribyrnong joined forces to launch a pilot project called Nourish to rescue surplus food, and provide free, nutritious cooked meals for people doing it tough.
Nourish aims to rescue surplus food from landfill; transform this donated food into nutritious meals; distribute free meals to people in need and provide volunteer opportunities for community members.
Nourish meals are prepared weekly in the YCC kitchen by qualified chefs and distributed in partnership by Angliss Neighbourhood House, Duke Street Community House, Braybrook Maidstone Neighbourhood House, West Footscray Neighbourhood House and The Yarraville Community Centre.
The Nourish program supports and provides food security to the most vulnerable members of the community, particularly those affected by the pandemic.
How to access free meals?
Nourish meals are prepared weekly at the YCC kitchen, by qualified chefs and dedicated volunteers.
Meals are available for pick up from the below locations…
Yarraville Community Centre, Yarraville
59 Francis Street, Yarraville
Please call YCC on 9687 1560 to arrange a time to collect food.
Duke Street Community House
27 Duke Street, Sunshine
Please call 9311 9973 to arrange a time to collect frozen meals.
Food Hamper Pick Up
Central West Shopping Centre Shop D4, 67 Ashley St, Braybrook VIC 3019 (near Dimmeys).
$5 food hamper pick-up on Wednesday between 1pm-2.30pm.
West Footscray Neighbourhood House
Level1/539 Barkly St, West Footscray VIC 3012
Please call 9687 3345 to arrange a time to collect frozen meals.
Braybrook and Maidstone Neighbourhood House
113 Melon St, Braybrook VIC 3019
Please call 9317 5610 to arrange a time to collect frozen meals.
How to get involved?
Everybody deserves access to quality, nutritious food, but during these tough times more people than ever are being forced to go without. We accept donations of fresh food from individuals, local supermarkets, butchers and cafes located in and around the Maribyrnong City Council region.
We encourage you to get involved and reach out to your local favourite food businesses and ask them to donate food that they can no longer sell and would otherwise go to waste. Bulk items assist us in producing large batches of food. We love boxes of vegetables, adore tubs of cream or bottles of milk, and always cheer with delight when we receive cheese or meat donations!
Donations are urgently needed
We are also urgently seeking donations of fresh food and pantry staples. You can deliver them to us at 59 Francis Street, Yarraville. We cook for the week every Monday.
You can donate funds securely here or via the QR link below.
Our friends and supporters
We thank our supporters, West Welcome Wagon, FoodBank, Duke Street Community House, Yarraville Rotary, Yarraville Square Fresh Market, IGA Yarraville, Coles Footscray, ALDI Central West, Braybrook and Maidstone Neighbourhood House, and Victoria University Polytechnic.
The Nourish Project and Yarraville Community Centre are also grateful for the support that ExxonMobil has provided the program.
This support has enabled the program to continue in 2023.
