After 10 years of innovation and development, Lou Revelant will hand over the reigns of management of Foodbank Riverina come 2021.
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The choice to retire comes as one of Mr Revelant's long time friends, former dry land cropper John Moore, is set to take over the manager role for the region in the new year.
"I think he's going to do a great job. I feel confident in what John can bring to the role," Mr Revelant said.
Mr Revelant forged a new path for food donation in the Riverina when he and a small committee of residents realised in 2011 that there was a lot of fresh produce ending up in land fill.
Mr Revelant is well known in Leeton for his generosity and push for stopping food wastage.
"We got this group together and we wanted to rescue some of the food that was going to waste and make use of it, but what didn't know what to do with it at first," Mr Revelant explained of the beginnings of the Riverina branch of Foodbank NSW.
The problem was not sourcing food Mr Revelant said, it was the logistics of obtaining, packing and transporting that was going to need some thought and design.
"We searched around and found Foodbank so we rang up Gerry Anderson the CEO and he was really keen because they were in the process of trying to get more fresh fruit and vegetables, they weren't getting enough," he said.
"I was supposed to be retiring at that stage but I knew that it was something worthwhile contributing to society and helping people that were in need."
In 2019 Foodbank delivered over 11 million kilograms of food throughout NSW and ACT, of which 35 percent was fresh produce sourced and transported thanks to the systems and relationships Mr Revelant built from scratch.
"The fact that we are rescuing a lot of food that would otherwise go to waste and it's going to people who are in need, is an achievement for me looking back," he said.
Mr Moore will take over the role from February with support from Mr Revelant from afar as he settles into the new role.
"I'm looking forward to keeping the high standards that Lou's had and expanding into other areas like dried food like legumes," Mr Moore said.
"But I'm going to need to wear three pairs of socks to fill the shoes that Lou has left for me."
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Kat is a former English teacher to international students and has taught all over the world. She is beginning a new career as a journalist with the Area News. Got something you want to chat about? She's all ears.
Kat is a former English teacher to international students and has taught all over the world. She is beginning a new career as a journalist with the Area News. Got something you want to chat about? She's all ears.
