After around 15 years of volunteering with FareShare, Joan knows the journey from farm to kitchen better than most. Volunteering four days a week across the Abbotsford kitchen and Clayton farm, she can even recognise the cauliflowers she helped grow and harvest when they arrive in the kitchen ready to become part of someone’s meal.

Step inside FareShare’s bright and highly organised Abbotsford kitchen, where around 1,300 volunteers work together to prepare nutritious meals with care, dignity and connection.

We discovered a happy beehive of activity, with a meaningful story behind every volunteer.

When Gabriela Santos arrived in Australia from Brazil, she had to rebuild her confidence, professional network and sense of belonging from the ground up. Through volunteering and community participation, she found friendship, new opportunities and, almost a year later, secured her first paid role in Australia.