Hamilton teen helps cut waste and feed people in need
This Year 11 student from the Western District devotes time every week to tackle food waste and food insecurity.
Ned Walker is a nominee in The Weekly Times 2021 Heart Volunteer Awards, supported by the Powercor Country Festival. Nominate a rural volunteer and learn more about the awards here.
Hamilton teen Ned Walker wakes to an early alarm clock every Monday.
The 16-year-old has a weekly before-school commitment volunteering for charity SecondBite, where he packs food into care boxes for people in need.
“I just get up a little bit earlier some mornings and spend my morning helping people,” says Ned, who started volunteering for the charity more than a year ago and spends one morning a week at the local church making sure donated food is put to good use.
During last year’s pandemic lockdowns, when food security became even more tenuous for many families, SecondBite continued its work, and Ned helped the group twice a week to make sure boxes were ready for those who needed help most.
Without volunteers like Ned, some families in his part of southwest Victoria would go hungry.
And masses of food deemed unsellable by supermarkets – from slightly misshapen bread to scuffed tins of tomatoes and beans – would most likely end up in landfill.
Ned says through his involvement he has come to realise food insecurity is an issue that affects all communities.
“I’ve learnt that I’ve had a privileged upbringing,” he says. “I have learnt more about what other people have experienced through hardship.”
The role has also given Ned a glimpse of the scale of the food waste problem in Australia.
“At the supermarket you really don’t think any of the stuff could go to waste, but that is exactly the problem,” he says.
“We get massive boxes of soft drink, but the box itself might have little scratches on it. Or the top of a loaf of bread is squashed, or one tomato in a punnet is a little overripe.
“It has definitely opened my eyes.”
Ned originally joined the SecondBite team to gain leadership skills for school. After 12 months donating his time to the cause, he says it is something he can see himself doing long-term.
“It is definitely important to do something like this, not only to help your local community but also to see realities other than your own,” he says.
“I don’t really think of the personal effect I have on people. I more so think I’m helping these people and that they might be able to provide back to the general community. By me helping them, maybe they can have an easier life.”
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