04/10/2026
Happy World Teachers’ Day!
Meet Amelia, Elisha and Belinda, the leaders of our education programs:
🍎 FEAST - Our food education program for schools
🥕 NEST - Our cooking and nutrition program for vulnerable adults
🍳 Nourish - Our hospitality training program for young people facing barriers to education and employment
Amelia has gone from teaching in the classroom to building a program that supports teachers! In 2017 she started working with OzHarvest to develop FEAST, which has now reached over 2000 schools across Australia. One of her many favourite moments from leading the program came when a high school hospitality class joined a primary school’s FEAST class to cook together. “FEAST creates so many community and emotional touchpoints.”
Elisha joined OzHarvest as a NEST volunteer and now leads the program. A moment that showed her NEST’s impact was meeting a participant who’d lost her job and said Monday’s class was the highlight of her week. Six months later, she’d found work and was still meal-prepping with everything she’d learned. “That’s NEST. It shows up for people when life is hard, and what it leaves behind goes far beyond skills.”
Belinda was a Chef and Culinary Trainer before she came on board to help build Nourish. She’s particularly proud of the outcomes Nourish has for its students, and how many stay connected with OzHarvest long after graduating, often calling to share where they’re working and to say thank you. “It is impossible not to be inspired by the young people we work with and the amazing team that make the magic happen.”
Thank you, Amelia, Elisha and Belinda, for your passion and dedication to building programs that have educated and empowered so many people in our community 💛