The FareShare Library Feeds Initiative takes off at the Kathleen Syme Library

Free, nutritious FareShare meals can now be picked up at the Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre in Carlton, as part of an exciting pilot with the City of Melbourne called the FareShare Library Feeds Initiative.

As of July 2024, anyone can walk in and help themselves to FareShare meals in the newly installed freezer in the foyer of the Kathleen Syme Library. 

“Last year, one in three people in the City of Melbourne experienced a degree of food insecurity,” says Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece. “Which is why we’re making it easier for members of our community to access free, hot meals.”

“With a huge helping hand from FareShare, we’re offering free, nutritious meals to community members that can be collected with no questions asked.”

Keep reading to find out how the FareShare Library Feeds Initiative came to be, how it’s going, and how we plan to provide more cooked, ready-to-eat meals to support people in the City of Melbourne… 

How the FareShare Library Feeds Initiative came to be

This partnership between FareShare and the City of Melbourne was established through Major Initiative 40: Food Relief, a commitment by the City of Melbourne to support food relief efforts for those living, working and visiting the municipality.

As such, the City of Melbourne had been wanting to receive FareShare meals for some time. But the unprecedented demand for them meant we could not feasibly onboard them. Until our major Abbotsford kitchen renovation was completed in April 2024 that is.

Thankfully, the revamped FareShare kitchen has enabled us to ramp up production; in August 2024, our chefs and volunteers cooked more than 117,000 meals, and this number is likely to keep rising. 

This has allowed us to onboard a dozen vital charity partners in recent months, as we strive to combat our burgeoning waitlist and support the growing number of community members seeking food relief in Melbourne and across Australia. 

FareShare selected the City of Melbourne’s Kathleen Syme Library as a new charity partner for a number of reasons…

The impressive Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre now offers FareShare meals, which can be heated on-site.
  • FareShare meals can be heated up and eaten in Kathleen Syme’s warm, comfortable environment, providing dignity and wellbeing – two things FareShare and the City of Melbourne align closely on – to people struggling right now. 
  • The Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre runs regular cooking classes, communal lunches in a socially inclusive space, financial counselling, safe spaces for marginalised groups, exercise classes and other activities, a community garden, and much more. FareShare meals will hopefully break down barriers and make it easier for people to engage with these wonderful holistic services as they pick up our meals or eat them there.
  • The Kathleen Syme Library is well respected in the community, serving a diverse range of community members from its centrally located facility.

How the FareShare Library Feeds Initiative pilot is going

The FareShare Library Feeds Initiative is an exciting collaboration, but it’s only as good as the community response. That’s why a key part of this pilot revolves around collecting feedback.

So far, approximately 1,000 FareShare meals have been provided to the community. In such a short time, the impacts have been noted and the success of the project is evident, according to the City of Melbourne.

Not content with just anecdotal evidence though, FareShare and the City of Melbourne have created a QR code for meal recipients to submit anonymous feedback. So far, we have received 27 responses. As evidence of the diverse nature of food relief, people aged between 18-25 and 60-70 make up the top two age groups; students and unemployed people form the top two occupations.

The meal feedback itself has been overwhelmingly positive…

    “I think this is an incredible initiative and its location at Kathleen Syme Library is so well positioned.”

    “These meals are so lovely and wholesome - thank-you so much!!”

    “Spread more awareness. This is amazing.”

    “Provide a poster for volunteering at FareShare, to give back for being able to have these meals 🙂 thank-you.”

    Another humbling aspect of this pilot is that the Kathleen Syme staff have noticed the respectful nature of community members taking only two meals at a time. So much so, they have not had to lock the freezer or worry about leaving it unattended. 

    Community members are also interacting more with staff to learn about the project and to express their support. It has struck up constructive, educational conversations about food insecurity and food relief with regulars and others. 

    From the community feedback, it is clear that this initiative is helping to cement the Kathleen Syme Library’s spot in the community even more. Libraries have always been an integral part of the community, and FareShare’s support is helping to keep that legacy going.  

    FareShare and the City of Melbourne will continue to gather feedback in the coming months. 

    How we intend to maximise this collaboration with the City of Melbourne

    With the pilot proving so successful already, our attention turns to next steps.

    In June, the City of Melbourne endorsed its Food City 2024-34 food policy, which outlines its vision to address food insecurity and its intention to deliver initiatives that foster “food justice” by providing people with “dignified and equitable access” to safe, affordable, culturally appropriate, and fresh food.

    In alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – including ‘#1: no poverty’ and ‘#2: zero hunger’ – this Food City policy closely correlates to FareShare’s own emphasis on dignity and desire to reduce inequity across Melbourne.

    As we work together on achieving food justice, there is potential to support families in The City of Melbourne’s maternal and child health services with our nutritious, convenient meals. Its Southbank library has been identified as another branch that could really benefit from FareShare meals.

    As growing numbers of people in Melbourne struggle to get
    the food they need, FareShare is excited to continue working with the City of Melbourne to help people access nutritious, tasty, accessible meals. 

    The freezer at Kathleen Syme Library, fully stocked with FareShare meals.
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