Louise: Where Professional Knowledge Meets Community

When we met Louise, she was working alongside other volunteers, breaking up mushrooms for the meals being prepared that day.

Even while speaking with us, her hands kept moving. It was a small glimpse of FareShare’s busy kitchen, where conversations and practical work happen side by side.

Louise has worked as a dietitian at Western Health for many years, helping people manage chronic kidney disease.

Photo description: Louise (left) smiles as she prepares mushrooms alongside other volunteers, getting ingredients ready for the next shift to continue preparing nutritious meals for people in need.

Through her work, she often encouraged people to eat healthy, nutritious food. Over time, however, she realised that for many people, the biggest challenge was not knowing what to eat. It was being able to afford it.

That experience changed the way she thought about food and health and helped her understand the impact of food insecurity.

Wanting to contribute beyond her professional role, Louise began volunteering with FareShare. She now volunteers in the kitchen every second Monday, helping prepare nutritious meals for people experiencing food insecurity.

For Louise, FareShare brings together two parts of her life. Her professional knowledge helps her understand why nutritious food matters, while volunteering allows her to respond in a practical and hands-on way.

She also enjoys working alongside people from different backgrounds, all sharing the same goal of preparing good food for others.

Louise’s story is a reminder that professional knowledge does not have to stay in the workplace. Sometimes, what we learn through our careers can lead us towards new ways of contributing to the community.

At FareShare, Louise may be breaking up mushrooms rather than giving nutrition advice, but the purpose remains connected: helping more people access nutritious food.