Operations co-ordinator Grace Grieve said the food rescue and distribution service prevented 300,000 kg of edible food from going to landfill and provided about 600,000 meals every year to people in need.
However, she said during daily sorting operations between two and four wheely bins of food unfit for human consumption was produced every week.
“For many years we have had a local farmer collect our food waste to feed his stock. This farmer now longer requires it,” Ms Grieve said.
She said the organisation did not have the resources to divide the waste into smaller lots.
“So we are hoping to partner with a local farmer who can collect this in one lot on a weekly basis,” she said.
Ms Grieve said FoodShare volunteers separated food waste from any plastic packaging, with the vegetable food waste provided as farm animal food, and plastic waste redirected from landfill into the recycling stream.
She said reducing waste was an important function of the FoodShare service which has prevented more than 2.8 million kilograms of food from going to landfill since FoodShare began operating in 2012.
Ms Grieve said rising demand for food relief during the COVID-19 pandemic was expected to continue.
“Many agencies that access our food to provide to the people they support are seeing an increased demand for food, be it because they have lost their job or had reduced hours due to COVID or because of bill shock,” she said.
Anyone who can help collect Shepparton FoodShare waste for stock feed can call Ms Grieve on 0432 517 329.
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