Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report

2 0 2 2 -2 3 A N N UA L R E P O R T

Contents Introduction Our vision: 3 Our mission: 3 Our journey: 3

An overview of Open Table Our impact in 2023: 5 Our team: 6 Our Board: 6 Our structure & management: 6

Governance Chairperson’s report: 9 CEO’s report: 10

Operational Report Food Relief: 13-15 Food Waste: 16

Special Events Celebrating 10 years of Open Table: 19 Launch of our first cookbook: 21 Volunteer social: 21

Finances Treasurer’s Report 23 Auditor’s declaration 24 Financial statements 26

Other important information Acknowledgements & Thank You: 29 How to help: 31 Contact us: 31

Our vision Connected communities where everyone has equitable access to fresh and nutritious food, with no food wasted.

Our mission Provide consistent and reliable access to healthy food for people experiencing disadvantage • Transform produce that would have otherwise gone to waste into free healthy food to share • Connect diverse groups of people through inclusive community food projects • Collaborate with volunteers and local community partners • Empower people to reduce food waste through educational programs and events

Our journey 10 years of impact Open Table was founded in Brunswick, in early 2013 by a group of likeminded individuals. It began with weekly dinners at the local neighbourhood house in order to ‘meet the neighbours’ whilst making productive use of surplus food.

Our team has since been working tirelessly to share free fresh food with our community with a purpose of reducing food insecurity and food waste.

We’ve been joined along the way by hundreds of volunteers and have built strong partnerships in order to deliver our programs to marginalised and disadvantaged groups throughout Melbourne.

Open Table exists thanks to its supporters. These include a growing group of dedicated volunteers, funders, donors, community partners and food donation partners.

We are an independent and secular organisation and our programs seek to create an inclusive and safe space for all to join together through food. All our food is free and we strive to make our programs welcoming to everyone at all Open Table community food programs.

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An overview of Open Table

Our impact In 2023 This year brought with it another rise in the demand for our services as the community faced the costof-living crisis. Our team expanded our food rescue and community food programs while transitioning our food waste educational workshops from online to inperson, culminating in our biggest year of impact to date.

Our biggest year yet

More than 50.6 tonnes of food saved from landfill

Hosted 57 free community lunches

Delivered 44 zero waste cooking workshops

Shared 4,580 bags of free fresh food

Served 3,675 free fresh meals

Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report 5

Our team CEO

Angela O’Toole

Operations & Logistics Manager

Adam Bell

Project Coordinator

Carolina Felton

Workshop Facilitator

Alanna Brown

Workshop Facilitator

Melanie Ryan

Lead Cook

Hiroko Ooka

Lead Cook

Carlotta Pischedda

Lead Cook

Alexandra Baxter

Our Board President

Melissa Lawson

Vice President

Tenille Gilbert

Secretary

Cal Pruiti

Treasurer

Brendan Lonergan/Jimmy Ma

Ordinary Committee Member

Jessica Young

Ordinary Committee Member

Miranda Campbell

Our structure & management Open Table is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).

6 Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report

Governance

Chairperson’s Report This year provided a new set of challenges across our community as we continue to feel the external pressure of rising living costs with more and more families struggling to make ends meet. Our Open Table team and volunteers, together with the support of donors continued to provide fresh healthy meals to those people experiencing food insecurity across Melbourne. Through our longstanding relationships with the wider food security community and our expanded programs, we were able to double our individual engagement and reach^1.

We would also like to offer thanks to Brendan Lonergan, our departing volunteer bookkeeper and previous Treasurer, for their ongoing commitment and support over the past 3 years.

Amongst the challenges, there were celebrations, with Open Table reaching our 10-year milestone in May 2023. We hosted a thank you event for our Board members, staff, volunteers and supporters.

A wonderful opportunity to come together and recognise our collective effort in building our invaluable community programs over the past decade.

I would like to extend my deep thanks and well wishes to Angela as she departs Open Table after 10 years of leadership. Angela was one of the key founding members of Open Table and her deep commitment has helped build a solid foundation for invaluable community outreach and engagement. The incredible impact the organisation has had on so many lives and the vast amount of food that has been redirected from landfill, is largely thanks to Angela’s hard work and dedication.

Our partnership with Pressroom Philanthropy continues to strengthen. We are appreciative of their ongoing guidance and expertise, in particular the mentor support provided to Angela and team, the enhanced communication materials helping us reach more people and the marketing tools needed to tell our 10-year story.

We were pleased to welcome Miranda Campbell as a new Open Table Board member and Jimmy Ma as our new Board Treasurer. Miranda joins us with a wealth of social enterprise, small business and hospitality experience whilst Jimmy has extensive corporate financial management skills. We look forward to sharing their skills and experience with the organisation.

Ongoing gratitude to the wonderful Open Table team - Angela, Adam, Alanna, Caro and our volunteers who continue to work behind the scenes each year transforming collected disused produce into delicious long table lunches, delivering engaging low waste cooking workshops and exploring new food rescue programs.

Finally, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newly appointed CEO, Peta Christensen. Peta has been a leader in the community food systems space for over 23 years and has extensive experience working with community and creating long standing community projects and social enterprise.

We look forward to welcoming in 2024 with Peta as our newly appointed CEO alongside our team of staff, volunteers and to creating new opportunities and ensuring that our table is always open. ^1Compared to 2021-22.

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CEO’s Report I am pleased to report that in our tenth year of operation, Open Table once again was able to leverage our relationships with donors, volunteers and the wider food security community, to deliver a record level of impact across Melbourne’s Northern suburbs.

Thanks to the hard work of our team, we managed to save 50 tonnes of food from landfill, an increase of 80% year on year, and provided a record 3,675 fresh healthy meals to people in need, more than doubling our efforts from the prior 12 months.

It was another big year for our No Waste Cooking Workshops too, with 44 workshops delivered across Melbourne and regional Victoria, including Ballarat and the Wimmera region. Reflecting on the growing interest in community sentiment, likely due to the rising cost of living.

Our small team grew this year, with some very talented and passionate individuals joining our new and growing programs.

Caro Felton commenced as our Project Coordinator engaged to establish our Food Rescue Hub. This new project has been supported by the Circular Economy Communities Fund delivered

by Sustainability Victoria under the Victorian Government’s circular economy plan, Recycling Victoria: a new economy.

Working with local businesses, Caro has collected over 23 tonnes of surplus food, which she was able to redistribute via our relationships with local neighbourhood houses and other community meal programs. In addition, we’ve welcomed Melanie Ryan as a workshop facilitator for our growing No Waste Workshops program.

We have also been joined by an amazing

10 Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report

group of 43 new volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy to our community lunches, workshops and free food markets.

In November we launched our very first cookbook thanks to the team at Pressroom Philanthropy who donated their design and print facilities to make one of our longtime dreams come true. The talented Alanna Brown produced all the recipes along with some beautiful food photos to create an amazing resource full of delicious ‘No Waste’ recipes and lots of simple tips and tricks for reducing food waste at home.

In May we celebrated our 10th Anniversary, joined by many of our longtime friends, volunteers, supporters and members to celebrate this milestone. The evening was a huge success with lots of raffle prizes given away, cake eaten and stories shared.

This year will be my last leading Open Table, and I’m so pleased to report on such a successful year. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of this organisation, initially joining as a volunteer cook at our very first community dinner at the Brunswick Neighbourhood House, then not long after, growing our program by establishing a community lunch in Fitzroy, before stepping up to manage the organisation in 2016. I’m incredibly proud of how Open Table has grown over the past 10 years. Thank you to all our amazing volunteers, our very capable team of staff and the Open Table Board who have all worked incredibly hard to get Open Table to where it is today. I look forward to seeing Open Table continue to grow and flourish into the future.

Operational Report

“I like volunteering at Open Table because it allows me to do something that helps others and makes me feel good at the end of the day. My two passions are reducing waste and cooking, so this is the perfect combo. The other bonus is connecting with the other wonderful volunteers and guests.”

Yak - Volunteering since 2018

Food Relief This year we’ve experienced an increase in demand for our food relief programs, largely due to the cost of living crisis. We continued to run our weekly Saturday lunches at the Bargoonga Nganjin North Fitzroy library where we saw attendance grow steadily. We have up to 90 people coming along to these weekly lunches, among them are the regulars who come up to two hours early, waiting in line to ensure they do not miss out.

To help alleviate this demand, we introduced a new community lunch pilot program at the Kathleen Syme Library in Carlton. Running the lunch alongside a full day of community offerings including a garden workshop, musical performers and guest speakers we’ve seen attendance increase to over 100 people for this lunch.

With the winding back of our Fitzroy free food markets due to a scarcity of food relief funding, we’ve made sure to increase the free food offering alongside our community lunches and community pantries. Prioritising healthy, culturally appropriate food, we welcome patrons to fill their own grocery bag to take home. Additionally we partnered with Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre at the Carlton public housing estate to run 6 free food markets, sharing close to two tonnes of free fresh food with residents this financial year.

Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report 13

Food Relief - What we delivered:

This year our team has worked tirelessly to share free food with those in need. Our pop up community food sharing events create a welcoming space for everyone to join.

These inclusive activies also help to strengthen connections for all through the shared experience of food.

We hosted 57 free

community lunches at Bargoonga Nanjin, and Kathleen Syme Libraries, plus Fawkner Senior Citizens

4,580 bags of free food

3,675 free fresh meals

3,518 frozen meals

shared through our food relief programs

made and served at our community lunches

shared through our free food markets and the community freezer

2,480 visits

1,261 Volunteer hours

43 new volunteers

to the community pantry for pantry food items and frozen meals

donated to our community lunch program

joined our regular roster

14 Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report

How we grew:

19 free food markets in partnership with Yarra Libraries, Cultivating Commuanity & Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre

250%

increase in fresh meals served at our community lunches

3,300 visits to our free community lunches

87%

increase in the volume of food saved from landfill

25%

Supported 11 community lunch partners by delivering rescued food to their meal programs

increase in volunteer hours

Food Waste This has been our biggest food rescue year to date thanks to the establishment of our Food Rescue Hub, supported

by Sustainability Victoria. Our project coordinator and volunteers have been collecting surplus food from 21 local businesses, distributing the edible food to local community meal programs and diverting inedible food to community composting hubs. Through this program and our regular food rescue donation partners we’ve managed to save approximately 50 tonnes of food from landfill throughout the year, which is a huge achievement for our team.

We’ve also expanded our food waste education via our No Waste Cooking workshops. An increase in in-person cooking sessions meant we delivered our food waste education across 17 local council areas this year. We introduced a new focus to our cooking sessions, demonstrating the benefits of ‘induction cooking’ in several local government sustainability campaigns encouraging ‘all-electric’ homes.

Feedback from our workshop participants: “I actually loved that it felt that we were given the whole demonstration with such ease and in a truly bright connected manner”

To further our efforts in reducing food waste, this year we ran a new pilot project to establish a network of community accessible ‘biodigesters’. Our team tested the viability of this technology on a community level by turning food waste into cookable gas and high quality fertiliser. Our Operations and Logistics Manager Adam led this project, establishing partnerships with Wyndham Park Community Centre, Merri-bek Council and Oakhill Justice Farm to install three domestic size biodigesters. Throughout the pilot, the biodigesters collectively processed 875kg of food waste that is not usually compostable. The food waste was then transformed into biogas which can be used for cooking.

16 Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report

Special Events

Celebrating 10 years of Open Table On 19th May, we celebrated our 10th birthday at our Food Rescue Hub in Coburg. Joined by our wonderful community, among them founding members, board members past and present, volunteers, partners, supporters and friends. We marked the occasion with foodie prizes, pickled party favours, delicious homemade cake and a few trips down memory lane. We were also delighted to share the stories from some of our longest standing volunteers as part of a panel discussion. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along our 10 year journey, from a humble community dinner at the Brunswick Neighbourhood House and the countless shared meals since, here is to another 10 incredible years!

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Launch of our first cookbook Thanks to the wonderful team at Pressroom Philanthropy we fulfilled a long time dream of ours, creating our very first No Waste Cook Book!

The cookbook launched in November and we are so excited to be able to share it through our workshops and events.

Volunteer social Our dedicated team of volunteers took a break from the community kitchen to attend The Fermentary for an informative workshop sampling their delicious fermented drinks.

Thank you to Sharron and the team for having us.

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Finances

Treasurer’s Report Open Table reported an income of $269,185 for the financial year ended 30 June 2023, with income being $94,117 higher than the previous financial year.

Total grants had increased by $79,840 on the previous financial year, while donations had decreased by $22,852. The increase in other income was mainly due to an in-kind donation of kitchen equipment valued at $22,160.

Total expenses totalled $241,007, had increased by $106,339 on the previous financial year mainly due to an increase in salaries, consultants, depreciation and rent expenses. These increased expenses can be attributed to new projects funded through new grants.

Total liabilities at 30 June 2023 totalling $87,351, were mainly income in advance and will be recognised in the coming months.

It has been an honour to serve with the current Open Table staff and board members during my first year as Treasurer. The operation and performance of Open Table is a credit to the continued hard work of all contractors, staff, volunteers, board members and in particular our CEO, Angela O’Toole.

Members are more than welcome to contact me with any queries regarding the financial statements.

Jimmy Ma CA Treasurer

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Auditor’s Declaration

Auditor's Independence Declaration Under Subdivision 60-C of the ACNC Open Table Inc. For the year ended 30 June 2023 To the committee of Open Table Inc. In accordance with Subdivision 60-C of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012, I am pleased to provide the following declaration of independence to the directors of Open Table Inc.. As the lead audit partner for the audit of the financial report of Open Table Inc. for the year ended 30 June 2023, I declare that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, during the year ended 30 June 2023 there have been no contraventions of: (i) the auditor independence requirements of the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission Act 2012 in relation to the audit; and (ii) any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit.

William Jonathan Griffin APL Financial Pty Ltd 32 Business Park Drive Notting Hill, Victoria 3168 Dated: 28 September 2023

24 Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report 25

Financial Statements

Statement of Profit or Loss Open Table Inc. For the year ended 30 June 2023 NOTES

2023

2022

Other Income

29,232

3,182

Donations

31,703

54,555

Fundraising

2,195

-

169,905

90,065

Income

Grants Interest Income No Waste Cooking Program

324

-

39,096

27,267

Profit/(Loss) on Disposal of Non-Current Assets

(3,269)

-

Total Income

269,185

175,068

280

140

Expenditure Advertising Annual Leave Expense Audit Fee

7,665

-

802

800

Bank Fees

20

-

Consulting

26,898

18,279

Cutlery, Crockery and Consumables Depreciation

176

14

13,600

5,514

Entertainment

545

-

Freight & Courier

1,175

35

General Expenses

4,726

7,490

Insurance

6,473

3,847

Kitchen Equipment/Expenses

5,650

434

Light, Power, Heating

967

443

Motor Vehicle Expenses

304

1,100

Office Expenses

460

98

Printing & Stationery

47

51

Rent/Venue Hiring

12,327

6,163

Repairs and Maintenance

8,941

1,561

Subscriptions

1,192

1,024

Sundries Superannuation Training

215

446

9,662

7,770

139

-

Travel - National

1,367

1,759

Wages and Salaries

137,377

77,701

Total Expenditure

241,007

134,668

28,178

40,400

Current Year Surplus/ (Deficit)

26 Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements. These statements should be read in conjunction with the attached auditor's report. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Statement of Financial Position Open Table Inc. As at 30 June 2023 NOTES

30 JUN 2023

30 JUN 2022

189,716

150,905

Assets Current Assets Cash & Cash Equivalents Trade and Other Receivables

4,424

4,054

194,140

154,959

Kitchen Equipment

48,728

21,588

Less Accumulated Depreciation on Kitchen Equipment

(6,007)

(6,789)

Motor Vehicle

51,070

51,070

Less Accumulated Depreciation on Motor Vehicle

(15,694)

(3,901)

Total Current Assets Non-Current Assets Plant and Equipment, Vehicles

Rental Bond Total Plant and Equipment, Vehicles Total Non-Current Assets Total Assets

182

182

78,280

62,149

78,280

62,149

272,420

217,108

637

14,359

10,502

3,041

Liabilities Current Liabilities Trade and Other Payables GST Payable Provision for annual leave

7,665

-

Income Received in Advance

66,354

40,822

Superannuation Payable

2,193

1,996

Total Current Liabilities

87,351

60,217

-

-

87,351

60,217

185,069

156,891

Other Current Liabilities Total Liabilities

Net Assets Equity Capital Reserve Current Year Earnings

28,178

40,400

Retained Earnings

156,891

116,491

Total Capital Reserve

185,069

156,891

185,069

156,891

Total Equity

Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report 27 The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements. These statements should be read in conjunction with the attached auditor's report. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Acknowledgements & Thank You

Food Donors

Volunteers

• Foodbank Victoria

With too many wonderful people to list, thank you to everyone who turned up to help to collect food donations, slice, dice, cook, serve and clean on behalf of Open Table - we couldn’t do it without you!

• OzHarvest • Secondbite • The Vegetable Connection • Wild Things • CERES Fair Food • Coburg Market • Orange & Lemons • IGA Piedimontes in Pascoe Vale

Funders

Thank you to all our members and board members who have donated their time and expertise to the organisation.

• Community Bank Clifton Hill - North Fitzroy • Department of Industry, Innovation & Science • Department of Jobs Precincts & Regions • Department of Premier & Cabinet • Inner North Community Foundation • Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation • Merri-bek City Council • Sisters of Charity Foundation • Sustainability Victoria • Vic Health • Yarra City Council

Partners & Supporters • Pressroom Philanthropy • Cultivating Community • Yarra Libraries (City of Yarra) • Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre (City of Melbourne) • CERES Fair Food • Reynard Street Neighbourhood House • Wyndham Park Community Centre • Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre • Glenroy Neighbourhood House

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How To Help

How You Can Help Volunteer your time head to https://www.open-table.org/ volunteer and sign up to help out at an event or email hello@open-table.org Make a donation – every little bit counts.

Donations gratefully accepted via our website https://www.open-table.org/donate

Contact Us Website open-table.org Email address hello@open-table.org Instagram instagram.com/opntbl LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/open-table

Open Table 2022-23 Annual Report 31

Contact Us Website open-table.org Email address hello@open-table.org Instagram instagram.com/opntbl LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/open-table