Flavour expert McCormick has joined forces with long-time community partners Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania (RMHC VIC & TAS) and OzHarvest as part of their aligned mission to reduce food waste through rescued ingredients and give back to local communities.
Its meal preparation and delivery program, ‘Flavours for a Cause’, was piloted on 30 July in Melbourne as part of their 135 Days of Giving program. McCormick volunteers spent the day cooking an Arabian Nights-themed feast using McCormick’s range of herbs, spices, seasonings and condiments, and rescued ingredients by OzHarvest, which were transformed into a three-course gourmet vegetarian dinner. These were prepared at OzHarvest’s kitchen with the help of their in-house chefs, and later, packed into OzHarvest’s trucks to be delivered and served by McCormick volunteers to 70 residents and families of ill and injured children at Ronald McDonald House North Fitzroy.
‘Flavours for a Cause’ is the teaming up, and celebration, of each organisation’s respective community-focused programs:
- RMHC VIC & TAS’s Meals from the Heart program gives residents a night off from cooking by having volunteers prepare and join the families for dinner.
- OzHarvest’s Cooking for a Cause sees corporate teams learn zero-waste cooking skills from in-house chefs and transform rescued ingredients into gourmet meals.
- The recently-launched 135 Days of Giving program by McCormick sees employees give back to the community, and coincides with the company’s 135th Anniversary this year.
McCormick Australia was recently recognised by RMHC VIC & TAS for 30 years of dedicated partnership and having provided a total of 2,083 nights worth of accommodation for families with children receiving treatment in nearby hospitals.
Paris Golden, Managing Director of McCormick Australia, said: “McCormick has a long legacy, approach and commitment to doing what’s right for people, communities and the planet which is brought to life through our Purpose-Led-Performance principles. Stitching together the missions of our various charitable organisations, we are excited to collaborate with our long-term partners, Ronald McDonald House Charities and OzHarvest.”
McCormick Australia, Ronald McDonald House Charities and OzHarvest will look to roll-out “Flavours for a Cause” to other cities and states.