Geelong Foodshare

26/06/2026

The Power of Volunteers. The Value of Social Supermarkets.

It was a pleasure to welcome Victoria's Minister for Carers and Volunteers, Luba Grigorovitch MP , to Geelong Foodshare this week.

The visit was also attended by our Chair, Jo Plummer, Committee Member Mike McKinstry, and Regional Food Security Alliance Chair, Cathie Steele.

Our volunteers were proud to showcase what Geelong Foodshare is all about. They prepared a delicious lunch for our guests, including homemade vegetable pakora, borek and Saime's famous baklava – a wonderful reflection of the diversity, generosity and community spirit that make our volunteer team so special.

Congratulations to Ess, Zayneb and Bob, who were photographed for the Geelong Advertiser. Keep an eye out for the article.

The visit also marked the launch of The Value of Social Supermarkets report. Across Victoria, Regional Foodshares are helping people experiencing food insecurity access nutritious food in a way that preserves dignity, choice and connection.

The findings for Geelong Foodshare highlight the significant value created by this model:

• Every $1 invested in our Social Supermarkets generates $13.20 in social value.
• Looking at cash investment alone, every $1 invested returns more than $123 in social benefit.

Behind these figures are real people and real outcomes.

"The volunteers are so welcoming, and I leave with a loaded trolley full of fresh groceries. I am so grateful to have this service in Geelong." – Geelong Foodshare voucher recipient

Thank you to Minister Grigorovitch for taking the time to visit and learn more about our work, and to our incredible volunteers whose commitment, generosity and kindness make Geelong Foodshare what it is every day.

21/05/2026

💛 National Volunteer Week 💛
"Your year to volunteer"

This week we celebrated the incredible volunteers who make Geelong Foodshare what it is — a welcoming, compassionate community creating local food security every single day.

One Social Supermarket client recently shared:

"What stood out most was the dignity and kindness shown by your volunteers."

More than 220 regular volunteers, alongside school groups and corporate teams, help create local food security through kindness, dignity and community.

We celebrated with a BBQ in the warehouse, coffees thanks to the wonderful APCO Foundation and a visit to our new Community Garden site on land generously provided by Barwon Water.

A special moment was recognising Marj, our longest serving volunteer, after 26 years of service to the community ❤️

Thanks to support from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing - VIC , we’ve also been able to provide APCO fuel vouchers to volunteers. The cost-of-living and fuel pressures are felt by volunteers too, and sometimes volunteering means making sacrifices elsewhere. We’re grateful to be able to give something small back to those who give so much.

Thinking about volunteering? This is your year to volunteer 🙌

15/05/2026

Geelong Foodshare was proud to feature on Pressing:on with Claudia Nankervis 🎙️

Recorded in Pressroom Media’s incredible podcast studio and proudly supported by The Phil Taylor Foundation, this episode explores the growing challenge of food insecurity and the importance of dignity-driven support, collaboration and innovation in creating long-term change.

In the episode, CEO Andrew Schauble and Head of Impact Felicia Bell discuss:
🥕 How Geelong Foodshare supports more than 20,000 people each week
🛒 The impact of our Social Supermarket model
♻️ Food rescue initiatives reducing waste and feeding the community
🤝 The power of partnerships in creating lasting social change
💚 Why food security is about dignity, choice, nutrition and connection

A huge thank you to Pressroom Philanthropy, Claudia Nankervis and the Pressroom team for helping share these important conversations.

🎧 Tune in and hear how together we are feeding social change.

26/03/2026

Opening Night: Mercer St Social Supermarket & Education Kitchen

On Tuesday night, we officially opened our Mercer St Social Supermarket and Education Kitchen.

What stood out most was the space — filled with partners, volunteers, community leaders and supporters who helped bring this project to life. It’s hard to thank everyone individually, but this has truly been a collective effort.

We heard from a range of voices on the night:

- An Acknowledgement of Country from Sandy from Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative
- Christine Couzens MP, representing local MPs
- Jo Plummer, our new Chair, sharing the importance of Mercer St and the role of food education in long-term food security
- Pauline, bringing the volunteer perspective and what’s seen and heard on the floor every day
- Monique from Rosewall Community Centre, speaking to the real impact of food education in building confidence and changing behaviours

This project was made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor, which enabled many others to step in and contribute along the way.

Mercer St is more than a supermarket. It’s food security infrastructure — combining access to healthy food with education and connection.

Recent Social Return on Investment analysis by Think Impact (through RFSA) found that for every $1 invested into our Social Supermarkets, more than $123 in social value is created.

Thank you to everyone who played a role in bringing Mercer St to life — transformational food infrastructure for the Geelong community.

Geelong Foodshare has many supporters including the Victorian State Government, the City of Greater Geelong and Harvey’s Wholesale, along with the many individuals and organisations who continue to back this work.

04/03/2026

Volunteers Wanted – Join the Geelong Foodshare Team

Geelong Foodshare is looking for eager and flexible volunteers to join our incredible team — particularly drivers who are also happy to help out in the warehouse.

Why not team up with your best mate and volunteer together on Thursdays? You’ll help collect food from local supermarkets and suppliers, then assist our team in preparing and distributing it to support over 20,000 people across our community every week.

You’ll be joining a passionate team of 200+ volunteers who power everything we do at Geelong Foodshare. It’s a chance to make a real difference, meet great people, and be part of something that truly matters.

It’s one of the most meaningful ways you can give back to your community — and you’ll have a great time doing it.

Click the link to start volunteering today https://geelongfoodshare.org/give-time/volunteer/

Please help spread the word by sharing this post with friends, family or colleagues who might be interested.

16/02/2026

We’re excited to share that Geelong Foodshare has been invited to present at a national webinar hosted by Sustain: The Australian Food Network

When emergency food relief can no longer meet the scale, complexity or dignity required under sustained cost-of-living pressure, new models are needed.

Social Supermarkets are emerging as one of those responses.

Felicia Bell, our Head of Impact, will join Rodney Spinks, Churchill Fellow, to explore:
• What the social supermarket model is
• How it works in practice
• Where it sits between emergency relief and retail
• How we embed choice, dignity and longer-term food security

At Geelong Foodshare, we’ve seen firsthand how Social Supermarkets are transformational, not transactional — strengthening referral pathways, supporting agency wraparound care, and restoring real choice.

This conversation is timely. Cost-of-living pressures aren’t short-term. Our response can’t be either.

Join us this Wednesday 18 February at 12:30pm for this free one-hour session.

Register here:
https://events.humanitix.com/social-supermarkets-webinar

As cost-of-living pressures deepen, emergency food relief alone is no longer enough. Social supermarkets are reshaping food access through dignity and choice.

29/01/2026

Geelong Foodshare’s new Mercer Street Social Supermarket is now OPEN!

43 Mercer Street, Central Geelong

After more than a year of planning, building and anticipation, we are thrilled to officially open our brand-new Mercer Street Social Supermarket — a dignified, spacious and welcoming hub designed to strengthen both immediate food access and long-term food security for our community.

This project has been made possible thanks to the extraordinary generosity of philanthropic groups, partners and individuals who contributed financially, volunteered countless hours, or shared specialist skills. Our major funder has chosen to remain anonymous, but our gratitude is immense — this milestone simply wouldn’t exist without you.

A huge thank you to the many people behind the scenes who shaped this space, including the key volunteers who provided crucial skills, energy and hands-on support. And to our project partners whose contributions — from design and construction to materials, equipment and professional expertise — helped bring Mercer Street to life.

Mercer Street represents a major step forward for Central Geelong. It offers:
• A larger, fully fitted, dignified shopping environment
• Greater choice and increased capacity for local families
• Easy on-street parking, close public transport and walking distance to Geelong Train Station
• A purpose-built education kitchen for our free Cooking Programs and food literacy sessions

Because the future of food security is not just access — it is education, skills, connection and confidence.

We’re also proud to now offer evening access across four nights a week until 7pm, plus Saturday mornings at Morgan Street, making food support more accessible for working families.

Our Social Supermarkets are transformational, not transactional, with access via partner agencies to ensure people receive the right support alongside dignified, choice-based food access.

A special acknowledgement to our long-standing partnership with the Give Where You Live Foundation — with over 90 percent of their community vouchers redeemed through our Social Supermarkets, this sets a benchmark for regional food security.

If your organisation would like to connect through referrals, Cooking Programs, volunteering or partnership, we would love to hear from you.

Together, we are feeding social change.

With thanks to our incredible project partners:

Pressroom Philanthropy • Signs t’Go • Standby Security • Southern Cross • TS&B Retail Systems • Bellarine & Westcoast Refrigeration • Kennedy’s Group Plumbing • Palmers Plaster • Glenn White Painting • Dulux • Cainys Plumbing • Adrian • and many more.

23/12/2025

As we close for the festive season, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported Geelong Foodshare throughout 2025 — our 200+ volunteers, partner agencies, funders, suppliers, donors, supporters, staff and friends.

Both of our Social Supermarkets are now closed.
• Morgan St (North Geelong) will reopen on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 10am.
• Smythe St has now traded for the final time.
• Our Mercer St Social Supermarket opening date will be announced in the New Year.

At this time of year, we also hold close the many people in our community who are doing it tough. The festive season can be especially challenging, and our thoughts are with every individual and family who continues to face hardship.

We also want to acknowledge Alan, our Warehouse Supervisor, who finishes up after more than six years. Alan has supported Geelong Foodshare through COVID, a major site move, significant staff changes, volunteer growth from 60 to over 200, and a doubling of food volumes. His hard work and sense of fun are second to none. We are deeply grateful for his contribution and wish Alan and his partner Penny all the very best for their next adventure.

Thank you again for your support in 2025. We wish everyone a safe and happy festive season and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

18/12/2025

Last night, 7NEWS Melbourne shared our story and a first look at our new Mercer Street Social Supermarket, opening late January.

This site goes beyond food access. It includes a full education kitchen, supporting free, tailored cooking programs for our agency partners and their clients — helping build confidence, skills and long-term food security.

A huge thank you to Dulux for providing the paint that has brought the space to life, and to the Geelong Cats who helped bring this partnership together.

Social Supermarkets are transformational, not transactional — empowering choice, dignity and connection. Access is via a partner agency, ensuring people receive the right support alongside food.

Christmas is the time of year when need is at its highest. Right now, more people than ever in our community are struggling to put food on the table.

Please donate today to help feed 20,000 people this Christmas.

https://geelongfoodshare.org/get-involved/give-back/donate-funds/