Why I’m cooking for OzHarvest

Full disclosure: in our house, Iain is the cook. My role is usually taste-tester and chief appreciator. So on Monday 2 November, when I step into the kitchen at OzHarvest’s CEO CookOff, I’m well out of my comfort zone. (Iain, I may be calling you for tips.)

So why am I doing it? Because some numbers stopped me in my tracks.

1 in 3 Australian households went without enough food in the past year. That’s around 3.5 million homes.

It’s not who you’d expect. 1 in 5 households earning $91,000 or more have struggled to afford food. So have nearly 7 in 10 single-parent households.

At the same time, Australia wastes 7.6 million tonnes of food every year, costing the economy $36.6 billion.

That’s the madness OzHarvest tackles. They rescue good food that would otherwise be thrown away and get it to people who need it.

On the night, I’ll cook alongside professional chefs and then sit down to share the meal with guests from the charities OzHarvest supports.

My goal is $5,000. Every $1 provides 2 meals, so every donation counts.

Thank you for backing me, and for trusting a woman whose husband does all the cooking!

Mel x