SHARING A MEAL A GREAT WAY TO HELP
MICHAEL Gurney has been a chef for more than 30 years – and the most satisfying of those was 2020, when he worked with food relief charity FareShare to help feed those in need due to COVID-19.
The Brisbane chef was nominated in the Thanks A Million campaign by his mate Daniel Reid, who called his one-time neighbour a “bloody legend”.
FareShare began in Melbourne almost 20 years ago, when a pastry chef started using leftover ingredients to make meals for the homeless. It now distributes meals to hundreds of frontline charities supporting people in crisis.
Mr Gurney joined the charity in 2018, after the restaurant he was working at was sold. In Brisbane, FareShare operates out of an old serum laboratory in Morningside that ironically used to produce vaccines.
Repurposed as a commercial kitchen, it is the largest raw-to-cook kitchen in the southern hemisphere.
“Before COVID-19 we were producing around 25,000 to 30,000 meals a week,” Mr Gurney said. “But once COVID-19 hit, they were putting out between 55,000 and 60,000. And then we lost our volunteers due to the strict COVID-19 restrictions, so it was a challenging time.”
FareShare works in conjunction with Foodbank Queensland, which distributes the meals to more than 250 relief charities in the state. “The money I earn here is not as much as I used to earn,” Mr Gurney said. “But you can’t compare the job satisfaction I have now.
“I work with such a diverse group of people. Our volunteers include lawyers, plumbers and students. And we’re a tight bunch.”
Thanks A Million is a Pride of Australia initiative. POA is now in its 16th year.
TO NOMINATE SOMEONE AND
SAY THANKS, GO TO THANKSAMILLION.NET.AU AND THEY COULD RECEIVE A $200 WOOLWORTHS GIFT CARD. FOR FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS, VISIT THANKSAMILLION.NET.AU AND BE SURE TO SEND YOUR FREE THANKS A MILLION POSTCARD IN TODAY’S PAPER TO A WORTHY RECIPIENT – IT’S POSTAGE PAID.