OzHarvest Canberra yesterday received 500 individually-sealed meals prepared and cooked by chefs at the National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC) – the first delivery of a total of 4,000 meals to be provided over the next eight weeks.
The generous contributions go towards OzHarvest’s Hospitality Heroes program, which is aimed at supporting community charities in meeting ever-increasing demands for healthy meals in times of need.
Here in Canberra, the OzHarvest Hospitality Heroes program has rallied with the NCCC to re-open its kitchens, re-engage kitchen teams and produce 500 nutritious, hot-cooked meals per week, for an eight-week period. These chef-prepared meals will assist those affected by COVID-19 in providing much-needed food relief.
To fulfill their commitment to the program, NCCC is employing around five chefs a week, each week, for around eight hours average, preparing and cooking each weekly pick-up.
As part of IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the NCCC’s General Manager, Stephen Wood, said they were proud to offer continued support as part of an ongoing 13-year relationship with OzHarvest in Canberra.
“We are delighted to lead the OzHarvest’s Hospitality Heroes initiative here in the local community,” Mr Wood said.
“We understand how difficult current circumstances can be, our own industry has been greatly affected.
“It is through these challenging times that working with partners such as OzHarvest, we not only have the opportunity to best serve our community but also have the ability to re-engage our own staff in what is the true essence of hospitality,” he said.
The next eight weeks will see a weekly delivery of freshly cooked meals that will include a range of dishes including pasta, curries, stews and vegetables to those who need it most.
Justine Tarrant, National Partnerships Manager at OzHarvest said they are “so pleased to have the NCCC on board, especially after all their assistance with the NSW bushfires earlier this year”.
“The NCCC, as part of IHG, are great advocates for OzHarvest locally and nationally. Joining our Hospitality Heroes program means that we can deliver more nutritious meals to address the growing need for food relief in the local community,” she said.
The NCCC supports OzHarvest in the areas of food sustainability, food insecurity and hospitality skills investment.
