Our project is about providing over 1,600 free lunches a year, reducing food waste and a bit of disco! Based on the “Disco Soup” initiative (hey, why invent something new if someone brilliant already exists) started by the Slow Food Movement our project has a strong focus on feeding the disadvantaged.

Each week we receive 450kgs of fresh fruit and vegetables from FoodBank to distribute through our emergency food relief program. There’s often some pieces that are a bit slimy or shriveled. If you were at home you’d chop it in half and use the good bit instead of throwing out the whole piece. We want to salvage the good bits and use them to make soup. This will ensure zero waste.

Like the original Disco Soup movement, our project relies on volunteer support. Each week our “Dallas Disco Soup” volunteers will come together and plan a recipe based on what can be salvaged from that week’s Foodbank delivery. The soups will be vegetarian as our community has a large Muslim population. Fresh herbs harvested from community gardens will be used to add flavour. We anticipate that some additional ingredients will need to be purchased to add substance and flavour. For example, dinosaur pasta shapes, will transform vegie soup into minestrone.

Volunteers will cook the soup accompanied by the sounds of disco! Dancing will be strongly encouraged. The cooking will be done onsite at the Broadmeadows Community Hub where we are based and have access to a fully equipped commercial kitchen. Each week our soup will serve 35-40 people.

Soup and bread will be served for lunch, once a week, by our disco volunteers, again to the tunes of disco. Community members coming for soup will be encouraged to bring their own mug to avoid waste. People can choose to “dine in” and enjoy the company of others or “takeaway” if they’d rather eat at home or COVID-19 restrictions dictate.

The project is about having fun, building community, taking the stigma away from food relief and reducing waste.