Our Journey
Outer East Foodshare Inc. (OEF), established in 2013, is a local not‑for‑profit organisation governed by a volunteer board.
We act as a vital link between major food rescue organisations and more than 50 Emergency Food Relief Agencies (EFRAs) across Melbourne’s Outer East. OEF supports agencies located within the Yarra Ranges, Knox, and Maroondah council regions. Food is collected from partners such as Foodbank Victoria, SecondBite, Costco, supermarkets, and a range of local food suppliers.
Improving access to quality food
To ensure Agencies in Outer East Melbourne have reliable access to free or low‑cost nutritious food—including fresh fruit and vegetables—so they can provide essential support to people experiencing hardship.
To support agencies who support people in need
We do this by
- Rescuing surplus food that may have otherwise gone to land fill
- Seeking donations of money, food, and goods from community members, retailers, producers, and wholesalers.
- Operate a centralised storage facility to safely manage donated food and goods.
- Distribute these donated items to EFRAs on the condition they are provided directly to people in the Outer East who are experiencing hardship.
Collect, Sort and Distribute Food
With the help of about 80 volunteers we:
- Collect and sort food – see KPI for the amount of food collected
- Agencies collect from us under our guidance, or we deliver to them
- Collect and store excess (pantry, frozen and cold) food for future distribution.
- Receive/collect and store and share food from local growers.