Largest food relief kitchen in Australian history opens doors in Melbourne

A mega-merger of two of Australia's most relied-upon charities has led to the creation of the largest food relief kitchen in the nation's history.

SecondBite and FareShare have joined forces to fulfil their goal of providing two million meals per year to Aussies in need.

SecondBite co-founder Simone Carson said one in three Aussies are regularly seeking assistance.

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"Opening this new kitchen is a big milestone in our commitment to food security," Carson said.

"It's going to allow us to do so much more."

A Current Affair toured the new facility in Melbourne this week.

It includes expanded cool rooms, a new loading dock and additional cooking space.

The charity distributes its meals through partnerships with various aid organisations who hand out the food packages to the community.

Humanitarian agency ADRA partners with Second Bite Fare Share across their 30 emergency relief centres across Victoria.

At ADRA's Ferntree Gully site, Sue 'the captain' Beament leads the team of volunteers with her tireless energy.

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"Times are tough," Beament said.

"But I love seeing the smile on people's faces when they receive their food. It just changes lives."

Among those in line for food at Ferntree Gully are long-time friends, Romay and Bianca.

Bianca lost her job during the pandemic and with rising rent, filling the pantry isn't easy.

"We're really grateful for these places. They're beautiful people, beautiful people," Bianca said.

The pair told A Current Affair they will be evicted from their home later this year.

"You wonder what you're going to do. But having places like [ADRA] really helps," Romay said.

For more information about Fareshare's fundraising drive, head to the website.