Gabrielle Kirstein

Founder, Feeding Hong Kong

 

Feeding Hong Kong fights waste by connecting surplus to communities who need food
Sponsored By
HSBC

After two years of volunteer work connecting bakeries with local shelters, Gabrielle Kirstein established Hong Kong’s first surplus food bank in 2011. Eventually, spurred on by her passion for social welfare issues, Kirstein registered Feeding Hong Kong as a charity with the goal of redirecting food away from landfills to those who need it most, and opened its first warehouse. In 2022, she became part of Feeding Hong Kong’s board of directors.

Over the past ten years, Feeding Hong Kong has played a crucial role in the fight against food waste—bridging the gap between corporations’ surplus food and communities that struggle to get enough to eat. As an independent registered charity, it doesn’t receive government funding and relies on the time and donations of volunteers and  partners, yet has survived even during the height of the pandemic, when manpower was at an all-time low and logistical chains were disrupted.  In the last 12 months, Feeding Hong Kong has contributed towards 3.6 million meals distributed to those in need.

Kirstein describes Feeding Hong Kong as a charity for charities, as it sources, collects, stores and redistributes surplus food that other organisations can cook or distribute to communities in need, creating a connected ecosystem that is bigger than the organisation itself. Now in its second decade, Feeding Hong Kong continues to advocate for awareness about food waste, but also for systemic change. In the year ahead, Feeding Hong Kong will strengthen its logistics capabilities—namely in increasing the speed in its deliveries in order for food to reach more of those in need—and also ramp up efforts to raise awareness about food waste and food need.

Impacted Industries


Did You Know?


Kirstein first arrived in Hong Kong in 2003 to work in advertising and communications.

Credits


Photography  

Affa Chan

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. See our privacy policy.