The Stretch

15th February 2021

The Stretch

On Friday at the Fair Food warehouse as Dan Andrews was announcing the five day circuit-breaker Monday’s delivery spots began to quickly sell out and a collective tightness in our stomachs returned.

Like everyone Fair Food has become accustomed to the lockdown stretch.

Grocery buyer, Kitty Anne Carrigg, has been preparing for months; pulling together stocks of flour, rice, pasta, canned goods and of course toilet paper.

Joshua Arzt, Kitty’s produce buying counterpart, has brought on more farmers, including a new generation of young peri-urban market gardeners (more on that in a coming newsletter).

And to cope with sudden surges in deliveries our Logistics Co-ordinator, Robyn Lasker, has been adding drivers to her roster – so if you see a new masked face at your door this week please say, hi.

Meanwhile, the lingering impacts that the first two lockdowns have had on people continue on – another one asks us to look out for each other that much more.

Kim Loeun, who some of you may know from the customer Zooms we did last year, has started working for local NGO, Bridge Darebin.

Each week Kim collects seconds produce from Fair Food for Preston training social enterprise, Moon Rabbit Café and Laneway Lunches, a two-course community lunch feeding 60 people every Friday.

Down in Fitzroy, Open Table’s fresh produce parcel program that we began supporting in the second lockdown has morphed into a weekly outdoor food market at the Fitzroy Community Food Centre.

Each Friday over 100 social housing residents, new migrants and lockdown affected overseas students come to choose from donated fresh produce, frozen meals, bread, personal care items and ex-Yarra Library books.

So far Fair Food customers have paid forward more than $15,000 to help put on the Friday markets.

Open Table CEO, Ange O’Toole, reports, that along with project partners Cultivating Community and Yarra Libraries, Open Table has distributed 7,858 free food parcels and donated five tonnes of produce to community meal programs.

If you’d like to help out the “pay-it-forward” button’s spread throughout our webshop – you can find one here.

Making the most of it

Now you might also remember Open Table’s zero-waste cooking workshops from last year – well they’re back!

We’re kicking off 2021 with passata-making on Sunday Feb 28.

If you’ve ever wanted to stash a pile of ripe tomatoes away for mid-winter sauces join us in Open Table’s virtual kitchen!

Our generous guide, Alanna Brown, will cook delicious passata, share simple, innovative ways to reduce our household food waste and talk about how to put the season’s harvest to good use.⁠

This year there are six sessions last Sunday of the month between 11am-12pm .

Join for one session or for all. Tickets are free but bookings are essential – so hop to it! ⁠

Have a great week

Chris