Dawoodi Bohra communities across six Australian cities have joined forces with food rescue charity OzHarvest, donating almost two tonnes of food and preparing 350 fresh meals for Australians experiencing food insecurity.

The nationwide campaign brought together volunteers in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth as charities report growing demand from people struggling to put food on the table.

The initiative was organised under Project Rise, the Dawoodi Bohra community’s social welfare program, with volunteers spending recent weeks collecting food, preparing meals and sorting and packing donations before they were distributed through OzHarvest’s network.

Sydney recorded the largest individual contribution highlighted in the campaign, with community volunteers collecting 800 kilograms of food and preparing 100 freshly cooked meals.

The campaign comes as OzHarvest says food relief organisations are experiencing increasing pressure.

Keith Brown, National Partnerships Lead at OzHarvest, said the organisation’s latest research showed 77 per cent of charities in its network had experienced an increase in people seeking food support during the past year.

“Every donation we receive makes a difference, particularly at a time when demand for food relief continues to grow,” Mr Brown said.

He thanked the Dawoodi Bohra community for what he described as its “incredible and ongoing support” of OzHarvest since 2018.

According to OzHarvest, the donated food has been transported in its distinctive yellow vans to charities supporting people in the communities where the donations were collected.

Mr Brown said the assistance went beyond providing meals.

“By providing food, they are not only helping to put nutritious meals on tables but also supporting the dignity and wellbeing of people experiencing food insecurity,” he said.

Melbourne volunteers join national effort

Melbourne was among the six cities taking part in the campaign.

Mustafa Poonawala, who helped organise the Melbourne component, said the initiative demonstrated what could happen when people of different generations worked together.

“The dry rations and freshly prepared meals represented the efforts of many community members working together,” Mr Poonawala said.

“It was encouraging to see people of different ages come together, knowing that their collective efforts could help support individuals and families experiencing hardship.”

Children learn about food waste

The campaign also sought to involve younger members of the community.

In Sydney, organisers held a food awareness session for children focusing on food waste, sharing resources and understanding how food travels from farms to people’s plates.

Children also prepared a card thanking OzHarvest volunteers for their work rescuing food and supporting Australians experiencing food insecurity.

Tasneem Baquari, a representative of Sydney’s Dawoodi Bohra community, said bringing together the collection of food with education for children was intended to create a broader understanding of the issue.

“Seeing our community come together to collect 800 kgs of food and prepare 100 meals was a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when people respond to a shared need,” Ms Baquari said.

She said teaching children about the journey of food, reducing waste and sharing with others was an important part of the campaign.

The food drive builds on a relationship between the Dawoodi Bohra community and OzHarvest dating back to 2018.

Dawoodi Bohras are a global Muslim community whose Australian community centres undertake charitable programs focused on areas including food security, environmental sustainability and social welfare.

Organisers said they hoped the latest campaign would encourage other individuals, businesses, organisations and community groups to consider how they could contribute to food relief and reduce food waste as demand for assistance continues to grow.

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