The Free Store
We freely redistribute fresh surplus food from Wellington's eateries directly to those in need of it. Everyone is welcome.
How it works
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Show up
Everyone is welcome, no questions asked! We’re open weekdays from 5:15pm.
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Join the queue
We serve tea, coffee and soup from 5:15pm. At 5:45pm we open the store.
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Receive food
You will always receive something, depending on our stock the quantity might change.
Our Impact
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![A person in an orange jacket and black cap hands an item to another person in a blue cap and dark jacket outside a restaurant.]()
60+ suppliers contributing
Cafes, bakeries, restaurants and caterers donating their surplus food each day.
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![A wooden shelving unit filled with assorted deli items, including sandwiches wrapped in paper, plastic containers of rice and sauce, salads in small bowls, pies, and pastries. The shelving displays a variety of pre-packaged lunch options.]()
42 tons of food saved from landfill
Saving about 126,000 kgs of carbon emissions, and 26.7 million litres of water.
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![People gathered outside The Free Store, set in an urban environment. A speaker is placed in front of the container, and several individuals are holding bags.]()
60+ people served each day
The Free Store serve people from all walks of life, all are welcome.
Support project highlight
Proffer’s trolleys
Beautiful, purpose-built emission-free food collection workhorses. One of the things that makes Wellington amazing is it's compact CBD. Everything is in walkable distance! That means we don't need gas guzzling vehicles to do our redistribution work, we can use regular ol' supermarket trolleys. This cuts down massively on emissions and costs!
Get Involved
Volunteering
Keen to volunteer? It's easy as. Get involved today. We’re always looking for volunteers!
Supplying food
Own or manage an eatery and want to make sure your surplus food reaches a good home?
Regular donations
Regular donations help us to more certainty that our day-to-day costs will be covered.
Latest Highlights
