THE FEED ME STORY

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Feed Me was founded in 2019 by Lana Purcell and Head Chef Ant — two people whose own experiences with mental health, hardship and the pressures of life shaped a very different idea of what food relief could look like.

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Both had found themselves in hospitality - an industry built around long hours, relentless pressure and incredibly demanding expectations.

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For many chefs and hospitality workers, burnout and overwhelm become almost accepted as part of the job. The personal cost can be enormous, affecting mental health, relationships, families and life outside the kitchen.

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Lana and Ant wanted to build something different.

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What if everything we have too much of could become something somebody else needs?

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Together, they created a new model that brought food rescue, cooking, mental health, dignity and community into the same space.

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Perfectly good food that would otherwise be discarded could be rescued and transformed into beautiful, nutritious meals. People experiencing hardship could access fresh food and meals with dignity and without judgement. And people looking for connection, purpose or somewhere to belong could become part of the solution.

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TURNING EXCESS INTO IMPACT.

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That philosophy has become the foundation of Feed Me.

Hunger exists in our communities on a scale that is often invisible.

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HUNGER IS THE HIDDEN CATASTROPHE.

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Behind closed doors are families skipping meals so their children can eat. Older people choosing between groceries and bills. Working people whose income simply doesn't stretch far enough. And people facing circumstances that can change almost overnight.

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At the same time, enormous amounts of perfectly good food exist in excess.

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Feed Me connects the two.

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We rescue quality food that would otherwise go to waste and turn it into fresh produce, groceries and chef-prepared meals for our community. But from the beginning, there was one principle we refused to compromise on: Being in need should never mean receiving second best.

 

Our chefs cook with the same passion, creativity and pride they would bring to any professional kitchen. Food is treated with respect, and so are the people receiving it.

Because dignity matters.

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THEN WE DISCOVERED SOMETHING EVEN BIGGER.

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Feed Me began as a response to food waste and hunger.

It became a community. As our locations grew, so did our volunteer family. People came to rescue food, cook meals, sort produce and help others - but many found something they hadn't necessarily been looking for themselves.

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Connection. Purpose. Friendship. Belonging.

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We began to understand that the community created inside Feed Me was becoming just as important as the food leaving our doors.

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Our spaces bring together people from completely different backgrounds and circumstances. Volunteers work alongside people accessing food. People who once needed support return to support somebody else.

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There doesn't need to be a divide between the people who give and the people who receive.

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At Feed Me, everyone has something to give - and everyone deserves somewhere to belong.

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That connection has become an essential part of who we are and has had a tangible impact on the wellbeing of the people who volunteer with us, visit us and spend time in our spaces.

What started with two people, rescued food and an idea has grown into something much larger.

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Excess food becomes nourishment.

Unused resources become opportunity.

People who felt isolated find connection.

People experiencing hardship find dignity.

People looking for purpose find somewhere they matter.

And a community that could have looked the other way has instead chosen to look after one another.

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TURNING EXCESS INTO IMPACT.

For people. For community. For our future.