Acclaimed chef Neil Perry secures new Stockland site to restart charity initiative Hope Delivery

Acclaimed Sydney chef and restaurateur Neil Perry has secured a new site at Stockland Piccadilly located in Sydney CBD to restart the charitable initiative Hope Delivery.

Hope Delivery first launched in March 2020 as a community meal program in Sydney and Melbourne to feed international visa hospitality workers – as well as the homeless and disadvantaged – who have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

To date, Hope Delivery has prepared more than 300,000 meals across Sydney and Melbourne.

Mr Perry said: “We’re grateful that Stockland has provided a prime tenancy within their Piccadilly CBD retail precinct so we can continue with the great work we do with Hope Delivery.

“We’ve been searching since late last year for a location that has a kitchen suitable to accommodate the number of meals we need to produce, but also with a separate area where our volunteers have enough space to package the food for distribution.

“Our new location at Piccadilly will allow us to produce upwards of 5,000 meals per week for those most vulnerable in our community, which is really exceptional.”

Mr Perry continued: “Being so centrally located will also make it easy for our many volunteers to travel to us.

“For the first time, we’ll also be selling our food for purchase to CBD workers, which will help us to fund even more charitable meals. We’re excited to offer more ways for the community to get involved; whether it be through donations, volunteering – or soon – through purchasing meals to take home.”

Group Executive and CEO of Commercial Property at Stockland, Louise Mason, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to support Neil Perry and his charitable initiative Hope Delivery with a retail space in our Stockland Piccadilly Food Court.

“COVID-19 has forced the retail industry to think differently about its shopping centres and consider new ways to utilise space that help make it more of a destination and remain relevant in such a challenged environment.

“Our purpose at Stockland is to create ‘a better way to live’ and this was the perfect opportunity to do just that through supporting such a critical local initiative. Hope Delivery will not only improve the lives of those in our community most vulnerable, but will also offer customers a novel, feel-good option for meal purchases.

“We’re proud to curate spaces within our retail assets to best serve our customers and communities, and will continue to evaluate new ways to remix our centres to ensure that we’re maximising potential.”

Leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest is one of the recipients of the Hope Delivery meal program. Founder and CEO, Ronni Kahn AO explained how the meals are helping address the increased demand for food relief.

“Neil and his team have supported OzHarvest since its inception and we’re thrilled to be part of this project.

“The impact of COVID-19 has seen many people turning to charities for the first time in their lives, and demand for our services went through the roof at a time when our resources were under pressure.

“Hope Delivery is supporting our emergency food relief services by providing around 5,000 cooked meals each week, on top of what we cook at OzHarvest. The meals are individually portioned and made with fresh and nutritious ingredients, providing immediate nourishment for some of the most vulnerable in our community.”

Hope Delivery currently employs four dedicated staff members who are supported by a team of eight to 12 individuals and corporate volunteers daily.