Open Table is rescuing food waste and feeding the community

Every year, 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted in Australia – enough to fill the MCG ten times over.

At the same time, 3.4 million Australian households are experiencing food insecurity, a number that’s grown alongside the cost-of-living crisis.

Bank Australia community customer grant recipient Open Table is a Melbourne-based community charity working to help address solve both problems at once (and combatting social isolation for good measure).

Rescuing food to feed the community

Open Table is a food access and food literacy organisation operating in Melbourne’s inner north, with one key conviction: food should be shared, not wasted.

“We rescue food,” says CEO Peta Christensen, “and we create beautiful, delicious meals to share.”

Here’s how it works.

Every year, Open Table rescues around 30,000kgs of surplus produce from local businesses and larger food relief organisations (like OzHarvest and Foodbank) that might otherwise be wasted.

This includes fresh food – an abundance of imperfect (but still good) fruits, vegetables and herbs – alongside pantry staples like pasta and tinned goods.

They then channel this back into the community for free through three access points of their Open Pantry program:

• A weekly community lunch at Bargoonga Nganjin (North Fitzroy Library), plus a monthly lunch at Carlton Library
• A daily take-home pantry at Bargoonga Nganjin
• A community market on the Fitzroy public housing estate

“There's lots of different ways and different times that you can access food through Open Table in the community to suit your schedule, your lifestyle," says Peta.

Every Saturday, the weekly community lunches see four staff members managing a rotating team of 100 volunteers, feeding around 120 people.

There' s no eligibility requirements, and the people who attend are as varied as the menu itself.

“There's older people, students, international students, people who have just moved to Melbourne and are looking to connect, families, our volunteers, people whose budgets are not stretching to cover their food costs that week,” Peta says.

“The whole community is represented.”

Open Table is quietly tackling something else, too: social isolation. “A lot of people tell me they come because they want to have a meal with other people,” she adds.

Beyond the Open Pantry program, Open Table also offers No Waste Workshops, Cook and Connect Playgroups and opportunities for corporate volunteering.

Where Bank Australia comes in

As cost-of-living pressures have escalated, so too has the demand for Open Table’s services.

In 2025, the organisation they successfully applied for a Bank Australia community customer grant to help support their Open Pantry program.

“The needs are increasing, our costs are increasing, and we needed that extra support,” Peta says.

Bank Australia’s community customer grants are funded by our impact fund, and support not-for-profit and community organisations that are making a positive impact on people and planet in specific impact areas.

“My favourite thing about banking with Bank Australia is that they value community organisations like us,” Peta says.

What the free lunches mean (on both sides of the table)

Last year, Kate was looking for a volunteer opportunity that met two criteria: it had to be on a weekend, and ideally involved her cooking skills.

As a Bank Australia customer, she spotted an email from her bank announcing about that year’s e community customer grant recipients and found Open Table.

She’s been showing up to volunteer about twice a month ever since.

“There’s so much usable food that's wasted in Australia,” she says, “so to be able to give back in a way that rescues food while doing something I'm good at – it ticks all my boxes.”

While helping others was her main motivation, she’s been surprised at how much she gets out of it herself.

“I didn’t think it would be as heartwarming and, in a way, life-changing as it has been,” she says. “It’s really incredible.”

On the other side of the table is Nancy, a 91 year old who has lived in Fitzroy North almost her whole life, from babyhood, through school and the decades of change since in the suburb she calls home.

A regular at Open Table’s the Saturday lunches, she says sitting down for the shared meal is one of her favourite parts of the week.

“It’s wonderful, and I feel ever so good when I leave,” Nancy says. “I know I’ve benefitted from the lovely fruit and vegetables we have here.”

And while she comes for the food, she stays for the company. “You meet a lot of people,” she says.

“I give thanks to the volunteers. We’re very blessed by having this in this area.”

She even credits Open Table with her newfound love for kale. “I didn’t like kale before, but one day we got crispy kale roasted with oil. It was delightful!”

Whether it’s discovering new food, meeting new friends or just filling your belly, community and connection are at the heart of Open Table’s mission – and Peta says there’s room for everyone at the table.

“You’ll leave feeling filled up with good spirit and good food.”

Bank Australia’s community customer grants program supports organisations making a real impact in their communities.

‍Find out more here.

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