Slow Food Hunter Valley's Food Rescue Kitchen has moved to Maitland Showground

Slow Food Hunter Valley's Food Rescue Kitchen project is producing more than 200 meals a week thanks to the extra space at their new headquarters at Maitland Showground.

The program had been operating out of Reader's Cafe and Larder's small kitchen at East Maitland for the past eight years and had outgrown the space.

Volunteer coordinator Margaret Kavanagh said the new premises would give them the chance to help nourish even more people in need.

"Everyone is appreciating the larger space. It's a lovely airy and light space. We can fit more volunteers every day now and there's a real buzz," she said.

The group is working out of the Teapot Cafe, which is also known as the Country Women's Association cafe. They are gradually transforming the space to suit their needs and have applied for a federal government grant to help make that a reality.

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"One of the biggest things we had to do was make a list of all the things we depended on at Amorelle's cafe that we would now have to provide for ourselves," Ms Kavanagh said.

"We were fortunate to pick some equipment up from the East Maitland Bowling Club and also from Maitland Park Bowling Club.

"We'd like to bring the kitchen up to scratch in terms of a commercial kitchen. We need a steriliser to be able to wash up to the standard that we were at the cafe. We are going to need ongoing fundraising to keep this going."

A coolroom alongside the kitchen has allowed them to store meals that are waiting to be collected.

Oz Harvest gives the group meat and fresh vegetables to make the meals. Local farmers also give what they can. The meals are distributed to Maitland Region Community Support - formerly Rutherford Neighbourhood Centre, Carries Place, Samaritan Youth Accommodation, and Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council.

About 20 volunteers make the meals each week under the guidance of Stephanie Baj and Amorelle Dempster. They complete a range of tasks from washing up to chopping and packing meals.

Ms Kavanagh said it was often a struggle to retain enough volunteers and the project would benefit from more help.

"We get set up with enough volunteers and then somebody leaves or goes on holidays. Since COVID people are now choosing to go on holidays so we are experiencing that, as well as some people who got quite ill with COVID-19 and have taken a long time to get over it,"she said.

"Volunteers get a sense of satisfaction and community connection - people like to come and do a good job. They feel a sense of achievement and there is a strong social element as well."

Anyone with a desire to help can be part of the project. No commercial kitchen experience is necessary.

"People who are willing to do anything are our most precious commodity," Ms Kavanagh said.

"Some are keen home cooks who find that extra layer of surprise in the scale that we do things - everything is multiplied by five or 10. It takes people by surprise."

To donate or volunteer phone Margaret on 0447 294 591.