On a typical Food Hub day, we have lots of bread ranging from sourdough to sliced loaves, vegetables such as carrots and potatoes, bulk food items such as rice, flour, sugar, salt, oats and pasta, and packaged dry foods like instant noodles, snack bars, and sauces. We have recently expanded to include personal care products such as body wash, shampoo, and clothes washing detergent.

Containers to store bulk foods – you can bring a clean jar, bottle, storage container, anything you already have at home. You will need some (non-plastic) bags to carry what you take with you.

Food Hub sources its products from various charities such as Foodbank and Gift of Bread, who rescue food and give it away to programs like us, at a lower cost or free, as well as Bread and Butter Project from which we pick up excess stock. We also work with awesome groups such as Catering Project and Luke Avenue who give us excess food. In addition, some generous brands donate products directly to us.

Food safety and freshness is paramount at Food Hub, and we take a range of measures to ensure food is safe to consume. Any perishable items are stored in our temperature-controlled cool room or stock fridges. For items which need to be frozen, the Roundhouse have kindly lent us a shelf in their freezer, which is kept to temperatures of -16 to -18 degrees Celsius. Aside from food storage, we sort through all our fresh produce deliveries to remove rotten produce, and do not accept deliveries of perishables such as short-life milk and meat. It is best to use visual and olfactory senses to make sure products are still good to eat. It is a widely held misconception that products past the best before date are unsafe to eat. Depending on the product, they can be safe to eat weeks after this date. We follow guidelines from the Australian Safety Standards. More info: Food Standards - Dates.

We regularly receive bread, cookies, fresh produce, pantry staples (rice, pasta, oats, sugar), and packaged dry goods. Occasionally, cooked food is donated by catering groups, which can be taken by customers who bring a container.

WWe have awesome supporters who keep our pantries stocked and customers full. Arc works closely with UNSW to deliver student life programs such as Food Hub, funded mainly through the SSAF students pay. City of Sydney supports our Paddington and Darlinghurst branch with funding and community space. We also receive support from various charities and brands who donate food and personal care products to help keep our pantries stocked.

If you have leftover catering from an event, email foodhub@arc.unsw.edu.au or call to organise a drop off – best during set up hours (12-2pm Mon/Wed, 10-12 Fri). We have limited fridge space, so perishable items should be coordinated. Monetary donations are helpful; we can get products at a fraction of the retail price. Shelf-stable pantry goods can be dropped at the 24/7 pantry, and cold/cooked goods into the fridge, labelled and dated.