Scotch College

Second bite of the cherry for people in need

SecondBite collects more than 130 tonnes of surplus food a year and distributes it to people in need.

Words: ALISTER PATERSON

The Scotch College community can be proud of its strong connections with the Melbourne-based not-for-profit food rescue organisation, SecondBite.

The SecondBite story began in late 2005, when some energetic volunteers came up with the idea of collecting surplus fresh, nutritious food from local Melbourne markets, cafes, wholesalers, restaurants and event caterers and distributing it to people in need.

Ian Carson (’76), head of national accounting firm PPB, was struck by the huge increase in demand of the homeless and disadvantaged for food and other support services. As a business person, Ian was also struck by the logistical simplicity of stemming the tide of food wastage in Melbourne and getting it to where it was needed.

Ian acted on his instincts, gathered some of his friends together to share his thoughts and the rest, as they say, is history. He is now chairman of the SecondBite Board, details of which can be found at

www.secondbite.org.

Think of this – more than 23,000 Victorians are homeless on any given night and $5.5 billion of food is wasted in Australia each year. It’s here that SecondBite is making a difference.

The response and results to date have been phenomenal. In 2007 SecondBite volunteers, provided largely via Rotary networks, collected and distributed 132 tonnes of fresh nutritious food in Melbourne and more than 5,000 litres of fresh milk – enough food to provide 264,000 hearty nutritious 500g meals and to provide more than a few glasses of milk!

By remaining autonomous and impartial, SecondBite ensures that agencies, large (more than 400 meals per day) and small (fewer than 10 meals per day), receive good quality, fresh nutritious food.

Many community groups and agencies provide food for a wide range of cultural groups. Providing the raw ingredients, rather than ready-prepared meals allows each individual group the dignity of deciding what menu to create.

Every day the organisation, run by the energetic Katy Barfield, is approached by agencies and organisations that desperately need help. SecondBite has identified a substantial number of not-for-profit organisations that are forced to buy food, sometimes at retail prices with generously donated funds, often at the expense of much-needed programs and activities.

The food goes to community agencies such as the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Salvation Army, Sacred Heart Mission, the Choir of Hard Knocks, CamCare and the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service – around 50 in all.

A by-product of SecondBite’s work is its contribution to the environment. This year it will prevent more than 160 tonnes of surplus food going to landfill in Victoria, which equates to a 144-tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

SecondBite’s vision is to help bridge the gap between surplus and need. SecondBite has the passion, the experience, the volunteers – but it desperately needs further funding to build a sure-footed foundation under its operations.

Despite the fantastic support of ANZ, AXA, Mercedes-Benz and several trusts, foundations and individuals, the organisation needs to raise $500,000 to ensure the food collection expansion project goes ahead and is sustainable for the next three years.

SecondBite is very proud to be playing its part in the community. The Scotch Family can play its part by considering a contribution. SecondBite has full tax-deductible status from the Australian Taxation Office.

To offer either private or business support to SecondBite please contact Katy Barfield on 8415 1194, email katy@secondbite.org or visit www.secondbite.org.

Scotch Family connections with SecondBite include Ian Carson (’76) founder and chairman; John Simpson (’75), Alister Paterson (’76) and David Hisco – parent of James Walsh-Hisco (Year 5) and Tom (Year 3) – board members; Jock Adam (’77), first volunteer; Judy and Rowly Paterson (’71), founding sponsors; Becco Restaurant (co-owned by Richard Lodge, ’85), one of the first food donors; and Robert Doyle – former teacher and father of current student Andy – and Ian Cover – son of Allen Cover (’36) – friends of SecondBite. GS