What FoodFilled does

FoodFilled is a volunteer-powered, non-profit food rescue organization incorporated in Victoria, Australia and founded in September 2018 by Belle Hayman and Benjamin Michelson. It operates a three-sided community platform that pairs 167 local food retailers (supermarkets, bakeries, cafes, grocery stores) with 179 food relief agencies and coordinates volunteer shifts to redistribute surplus food to vulnerable populations including families in need, asylum seekers, people sleeping rough, youth in crisis, and the elderly. A small paid team of about 15 staff runs the program from a hub at 146-150 Chapel Street in St Kilda, Melbourne, with operations confined to the state of Victoria.

FoodFilled's product surface extends beyond core food rescue into specialized volunteer programs: the L-Plater Volunteer Initiative (partnering with the Transport Accident Commission L2P learner driver program), Drive With Purpose (youth-licensing pathway), FoodFilled Friends (non-driver fundraising/collection), All Abilities Volunteering (with NDIS support providers such as Flying Fox, Sonder Care Group, Unibella), Corporate Volunteering (with enterprise partners including Stripe, Bupa, Neuberger Berman), Food Drives, and Education Programs (with schools such as Mount Scopus, Siena College, Bialik College). No proprietary technology platform, app, or software product is disclosed; the "technology" is the volunteer coordination workflow itself.

Funding comes primarily from individual donations (with a transparent metric of $1 = 1 meal), community fundraisers, philanthropic grants, and corporate volunteering fees. The organization cites 22,000+ meals and 20,000+ kg of food delivered each month, more than 1.1 million meals since 2018, 16,727 pickups completed, 551,023 kg of food kept from landfill, and 826,535 kg of CO2 emissions reduced. No audited financials are publicly disclosed. Recognition includes Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 (Social Impact) for both co-founders, City of Melbourne Awards 2024 Sustainability Finalist, and 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards in 2026.

Name

FoodFilled

Legal name

FoodFilled Incorporated

Website

https://foodfilled.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FoodFilled is a Melbourne-based non-profit that coordinates volunteer-powered food rescue, pairing 167 food retail partners with 179 relief agencies across Victoria to redistribute surplus food and has provided 1.1 million meals since 2018.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue and Charitable Food Redistribution

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Volunteer coordination
• Food waste reduction
• Community food relief
• Charitable food redistribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations support food rescue operations. The organization states every dollar raised directly supports food rescue across Melbourne, with $1 equating to 1 meal.
2. Fundraising: Community members organize fundraisers (birthday campaigns, bake sales, social media fundraisers) with full fundraising kits provided by FoodFilled.
3. Corporate Volunteering: Companies pay for team-based corporate volunteering experiences that combine food rescue with team building and learning.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FoodFilled is a volunteer-powered food rescue organization that coordinates the redistribution of surplus food from 167 food retail partners (supermarkets, bakeries, cafes, grocery stores) to 179 food relief agencies across Victoria, Australia. Volunteer drivers pick up surplus food and deliver it to community organizations serving vulnerable populations including youth in crisis, families in need, asylum seekers, people sleeping rough, and the elderly. The organization supplements core food rescue with programs for corporate volunteering, learner drivers (L-Plater Volunteer Initiative), inclusive volunteering (All Abilities), education sessions, and community food drives.

Product overview

FoodFilled is a volunteer-powered food rescue movement dedicated to providing food relief across Victoria. The core platform connects local food businesses with food relief agencies and coordinates volunteer shifts to redistribute surplus food donations. The ecosystem includes specialised programs: the L-Plater Volunteer Initiative (turns learner driving hours into food rescue impact), Drive With Purpose (empowers youth toward driver's licenses), FoodFilled Friends (enables participation without vehicles through fundraising/food drives), All Abilities Volunteering (inclusive accessible volunteering), Corporate Volunteering (team-based corporate engagement), Food Drive Program (community collection events), and Education Programs (interactive sessions for schools and community groups). All components operate through the volunteer coordination infrastructure to redirect surplus food to those experiencing food insecurity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FoodFilled Volunteer Food Rescue Service Volunteer-powered food rescue service that coordinates volunteer shifts to redistribute surplus food donations from 167 local food businesses to 179 partner food relief agencies across Victoria, providing over 22,000 meals per month. For volunteer drivers and food relief agencies.
• Corporate Volunteering Program Dynamic team-based volunteering experience that combines hands-on food rescue with community engagement and education about food justice. For companies seeking meaningful CSR and team building activities.
• L-Plater Volunteer Initiative Supervised driving program that enables learner drivers to complete their 120 required supervised driving hours while redistributing surplus food from local retailers to charities supporting vulnerable community members. For L-plate learner drivers.
• Drive With Purpose Program Program that empowers young people to work towards their driver's license while simultaneously building skills and giving back to their community through food rescue activities. For young learner drivers.
• FoodFilled Friends Program Community program enabling people without vehicles to fight food waste and food insecurity by organising fundraisers or food drives. For community members without access to a vehicle.
• All Abilities Volunteering Program Inclusive and accessible volunteering program where support workers and participants collect surplus food from local businesses and deliver it to people in need. For people with disabilities and their support workers.
• Food Drive Program Community initiative that equips individuals to collect pantry staples or household essentials at schools, workplaces, gyms, or local events for food relief distribution. For community organizers and groups.
• Education Programs Interactive sessions for schools, corporates, and community groups exploring food waste, food insecurity, social justice, and environmental impact through real stories and hands-on activities. For schools and educational community groups.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.1 million meals provided since 2018
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Funding Network AustraliacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFoodFilled pitched at The Funding Network Australia's Thriving Young People 2026 event in Melbourne, receiving $38,188 in pledges to grow the Drive With Purpose program.
• TAC L2P ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Transport Accident Commission L2P (Learner to Ps) Program to help learner drivers gain hours, confidence, and community connection while delivering food.
• Food Retail PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor167 food retail partners including supermarkets, bakeries, cafes, and grocery stores donate surplus food that volunteers redistribute to food relief agencies.
• Food Relief AgenciescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor179 food relief agencies supported, including organizations supporting youth in crisis, families in need, asylum seekers, people sleeping rough, those escaping abusive environments, elderly and vulnerable.
• ERDI FoundationminorOthersPartner supporting the L-Plater Volunteer Initiative, helping learner drivers complete their 120 required supervised hours while contributing to food rescue.
• Education PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with schools including Mount Scopus, Siena College, Bialik College, Star of the Sea, and The Social Education Group for education programs.
• Corporate Volunteering PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompanies including Stripe, Bupa, and Neuberger Berman participate in corporate volunteering programs, bringing teams to participate in food rescue activities.
• All Abilities Support OrganizationsminorOthersOrganizations including Flying Fox, Sonder Care Group, and Unibella support the All Abilities Volunteering program for people with disabilities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• FoodCloud: Ireland/UK-founded food redistribution platform connecting retailers to charities, with global expansion. Comparable given the technology-enabled surplus food matching model, though operating primarily outside Australia.
• City Harvest: New York-based food rescue organization collecting surplus food from businesses and delivering to soup kitchens and food pantries. Comparable volunteer-driven urban food rescue model in a different geography.
• Rescuing Leftover Cuisine: US-based volunteer-powered food rescue nonprofit with corporate volunteer programs. Comparable given similar volunteer-led last-mile model and corporate partnership revenue stream, though US-focused.

Direct peers

• OzHarvest: Australia's largest food rescue charity, redistributing surplus food from retailers to charities. Most direct peer given overlapping volunteer-driven model, retail-to-agency redistribution, and national footprint FoodFilled aspires to.
• Plate It Forward: Australian social enterprise focused on reducing food waste and feeding those in need through cafés and food rescue. Comparable given shared food-waste mission and Australian operating geography.
• SecondBite: Australian food rescue organization redistributing surplus food to community food programs. Highly comparable given similar two-sided model (retail donors to relief agencies) and volunteer involvement.
• Foodbank Australia: Australia's largest hunger relief charity, sourcing food from industry and distributing to frontline charities. Comparable as the dominant national scale player in the same food-relief category.
• FareShare: Australian charity that cooks meals from rescued food for distribution to relief agencies. Comparable given shared food rescue/redistribution mission and reliance on volunteer labor.

Emerging players

• The Food Army: Emerging volunteer-driven food rescue organization. Comparable as an early-stage peer operating in the same volunteer-surplus-food-redistribution niche.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: The largest US hunger-relief organization with national network of food banks. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the food-relief category, though at vastly larger scale and with a different operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/foodfilled
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodfilled

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FoodFilled