Mentored by chefs, students work together to produce high-quality, nutritious and delicious meals from donated and surplus foods, which are then donated to people facing homelessness.
Project implemented: January 2013
The 5000 Meals Program provides teaching aids, skills classes, materials and support for home education classes to produce packaged meals for the homeless. The 5000 Meals Program is a successful strategy to increase school participation of young people in school.
The production of nutritious meals for the homeless provides skills and motivation for young people. Similarly, it benefits the homeless and the agencies that help them.
Since their inception in 2013, PPP have provided a strong track record to deliver programs that have created significant outcomes for their two core Target Populations. Students and Homeless and Disadvantaged West Australians in need.
PPP have reached over 1000 students in 50 Schools and delivered over 20,000 Meals for Homeless and Disadvantaged West Australian’s in need.
As the Ambassador of PPP Maggie Dent says, ‘There’s school, then there’s a classroom of life’.
“The 5000 meals program provides a class-room of life where students are engaged with excited passionate adults who are all working together as a community to make a difference. The Program provides students with a sense of hope to make a difference tomorrow and in the future. They start to build a sense of purpose, a feeling of self-worth, identity and confidence, when often they struggle to find the emotional support they need at home and with their families.
5000 Meals provides a place of belonging, a place of community where students are engaged. The program has a profound ripple effect on the students. It infects every individual and moves through one student to another, and becomes a perpetual miracle, they become part of a village again.”
Ten week program on food waste, food security, EHO and work with a industry professional to create a range of meals.
Schools work with surplus foods to create and produce delicious, healthy meals for our community in need.
Students have the opportunity to distribute meals to the community through selected agencies.
The key drivers of the program include the social issues around food waste and homelessness.
Our vision is to empower young people to be a part of the positive change that they see in the community.
Since 2013, the Program has seen dozens of chefs and industry professionals become mentors to hundreds of secondary students, whilst engaging with several high profile organisations and sponsors to produce and deliver over 25,000 meals to people in need.
5000 Meals is aimed at empowering young people to actively engage in their community through food. The program provides a pathway for school students to undertake volunteering, allowing them to experience the positive emotional reward of service to others.
Students participating in the program will learn how to prepare healthy meals from food surplus, which will then be delivered to those experiencing homelessness in Perth. Moreover, these meals are also provided to students within schools whose families are experiencing financial hardship. The program is a collaboration between Prepare Produce Provide, schools and the food rescue agencies Secondbite and Foodbank.
The 5000 Meals program is delivered to the students in the metropolitan area through the 5000 Meals Co-ordinator, professional chefs, local government officials and their teachers.