Food rescue charity · Alexandria

Second Harvest Sydney

Nine meals for every ten dollars

📞 Call
★★★★★ 4.9 · 1128 reviews · Closed now

About Second Harvest Sydney

Second Harvest rescues surplus food across Sydney and redistributes it through 240 community organisations. Eleven trucks, a cold store in Alexandria and about 900 active volunteers.

We report every dollar against meals delivered. Administration is capped at 9% and audited annually.

What we stand for

Mission

Move edible surplus food to people who need it, before it becomes waste.

Vision

A Sydney where no edible food is thrown away while anyone is going without.

Values

Report against meals, not against activity. Cap admin and publish it. And never make a recipient organisation feel like a supplicant.

Theory of change

Hunger in Sydney is a distribution failure more than a production one — there is enough food, in the wrong places, on the wrong timeline. Fixing the cold chain between surplus and community kitchens converts waste into meals at about $1.10 a meal, which is roughly a tenth of the cost of buying and distributing new food.

Sustainability & ESG

Rescuing 4,100 tonnes avoided about 8,400 tonnes of CO2-equivalent from landfill methane last year. We publish the calculation method alongside the number.

Community & impact

Nine hundred volunteers, and every recipient organisation gets a seat at a quarterly forum where they set delivery priorities rather than us guessing.

Privacy policy

Second Harvest Sydney collects only what it needs to do the work, keeps it for three years, and anonymises rather than deletes so the record of what happened survives the person leaving.

How to complain, and what happens next

A complaint reaches the owner the same day. You get an answer within two working days and a named person who owns it until it is closed.

Who we're for

The Sydney food rescue charity that publishes its cost per meal.

Regular donors

People giving monthly who want to see what it bought.

Clear reportingLow adminEvidence of impact

Food businesses with surplus

Growers and wholesalers with edible stock they can't sell.

Free fast collectionCompliance handledA tax record

What we can do

Food rescue logistics

Discipline

Cold chain management

Discipline

Community services

Sector served

Refrigerated fleet and route optimisation

Technology
HACCP food safety
Warehouse and fleet · SAI Global · valid to 10 May 2028

Services

Food donation pickup

On request

Scheduled or ad-hoc collection from growers, wholesalers, bakeries and supermarkets. Free, and we handle the paperwork.

⏱ 60 min View details →

Community organisation partnership

On request

Register as a recipient organisation and receive scheduled deliveries.

⏱ 45 min View details →

Corporate volunteering day

On request

Teams of 8 to 20 in the warehouse sorting and packing. Fully hosted.

⏱ 240 min View details →

Cold chain transport partnership

On request

For logistics businesses donating refrigerated capacity rather than money.

⏱ 60 min View details →

Products

FH

Food hamper — sponsor one

$45
View & buy →
T—

Tote — Second Harvest

$22
View & buy →
CC

Christmas card pack

$18
View & buy →

Upcoming events

22Sept

Warehouse volunteer morning

Tue, 22 Sept 2026, 12:00 am

Saturday 8am to 12pm. Sorting and packing. No experience needed, all ages 14+.

Details & tickets →
2Oct

Winter appeal launch

Fri, 2 Oct 2026, 12:00 am

Our biggest appeal of the year, with the year's numbers presented in full.

Details & tickets →
15Oct

Harvest dinner fundraiser

Thu, 15 Oct 2026, 12:00 am

Long table dinner cooked entirely from rescued produce. 180 seats.

Details & tickets →

Who we work with

Funder
NSW Department of Communities and JusticePrivate philanthropic foundation
Partner
Sydney Markets growers
Client
Western Sydney Community Alliance
Membership
Foodbank Australia network

Meet the team

Ngozi Adeyemi

Chief executive

Fifteen years in logistics before moving to the sector. Rebuilt the cold chain.

English

Tim Halloran

Operations director

Runs eleven trucks and 900 volunteers.

English

Credentials & accreditations

·
Food safety program audit — cold chain
Certification · NSW Food Authority · No. SECO-10000 · valid to 2026-10-05 · as listed by the business
·
Charitable fundraising authority renewal
License · NSW Fair Trading · No. SECO-10137 · valid to 2026-11-06 · as listed by the business
·
Cold chain vehicle calibration, four vans
License · NMI · No. SECO-10274 · valid to 2026-12-08 · as listed by the business

How to take part

Greater Sydney and Central Coast Yes
Recipient organisations — capacity assessment Yes — Cold storage and insurance verified
Volunteers 14 and over Yes — Under 18 with a guardian on shift
Food donors — food safety compliance Yes — We handle the paperwork with you
Donations tax deductible Yes — DGR endorsed

Capacity & timings

SiteAlexandria cold store and warehouse
Service areaGreater Sydney (60km radius)
Service areaCentral Coast (90km radius)

What customers say

★★★★★ 4.9 from 1128 reviews
★★★★★
The reporting is the reason I give monthly

"Quarterly report shows kilos rescued, meals delivered and admin cost. I can see exactly what my $40 did."

— Marcus D. ✓ Verified
★★★★★
Reliable, which matters more than generous

"Three deliveries a week, on time, for four years. We can plan menus around them."

— Nourish Community Kitchen ✓ Verified
★★★★★

"Booked in, waited all day, nobody came and nobody called. I took the day off for nothing."

— Priya N.

From the journal

Work with us

Refrigerated fleet driver

Alexandria NSW · full time · closes 18 Oct 2026

We're hiring a refrigerated fleet driver. Read the full brief and apply on our site.

Apply →

Volunteer coordinator

Alexandria NSW · part time · closes 18 Oct 2026

We're hiring a volunteer coordinator. Read the full brief and apply on our site.

Apply →

What you get for coming back

Visits
123456A free check-up and clean
Passes issued
1 of 2 used

Good to know

PaymentsVisa, Mastercard, AMEX, Apple Pay, Bank transfer
LanguagesEnglish
Area servedSydney, Western Sydney, Central Coast, New South Wales
CancellationFree to change or cancel up to 24 hours before. Inside that, the deposit is kept.
WarrantyAnything we get wrong, we put right at our own cost.

Frequently asked

Where does my donation go?

Ten dollars delivers about nine meals. Administration is capped at 9% of revenue and reported quarterly against meals delivered, not against a vague programme budget.

Can I donate food?

Yes — growers, wholesalers, bakeries, supermarkets and caterers. We collect free, handle the food safety paperwork and give you a donation record for tax.

How do I volunteer?

Warehouse shifts run six days a week, minimum age 14, no experience needed. Book a shift on the site; most people start on a Saturday morning.

How do organisations receive food?

Register as a recipient — we assess capacity, cold storage and insurance, then schedule deliveries. Currently 240 organisations across greater Sydney.

Opening hours

Closed now
Monday08:30-17:00
Tuesday08:30-17:00
Wednesday08:30-17:00
Thursday08:30-17:00
Friday08:30-16:30
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

Already with us?

Have a booking or an order? Sort it out here — you'll need your reference.

Get in touch

Or do it now

Last year

4,100 tFood rescued
8.2 mMeals delivered
$1.10Cost per meal
9%Administration

If you have surplus food

  1. 1
    Call or submit online

    Tell us what, how much and how cold.

  2. 2
    We collect free

    Within 24 hours for ad-hoc, scheduled if regular.

  3. 3
    We handle compliance

    Food safety paperwork and a donation record for tax.

  4. 4
    It becomes meals

    Usually within 48 hours of leaving your dock.

Ten dollars is nine meals

Administration is capped at 9% and reported quarterly against meals delivered.