Community-Equip Customer Story | Meals with Impact

From crisis to community

In 2020, executive chef Harris Ryan found himself out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But as thousands of people in Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs faced strict lockdowns, his skills became more valuable than ever. 

With over 5,000 residents in need of culturally appropriate meals, Harris was asked to lead a food relief program, working with migrant and refugee women to cook and distribute nutritious meals.

Through this initiative, he met Nikki Blanch, a community development officer supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

Beyond the pandemic

The program delivered over 27,000 meals and helped all participating women remain employed. Recognising the lasting need for this initiative, Harris and Nikki launched Meals with Impact, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering refugee and migrant women through food.

Starting with holiday meal relief, the organisation grew with corporate sponsorship and government funding, expanding into corporate catering and launching an eCommerce platform to sell their meals online.

How SilverChef helped scale the impact

Through equipment dealership Cater Central, SilverChef connected with Harris and his team. Meals with Impact was approved for SilverChef’s Community-Equip, a tailored finance product that provides access to fully refurbished, ex-rental commercial kitchen equipment at up to 55% less than new prices. 

Reflecting on the collaboration, PremBuddha Vruthan, Cater Central's General Manager shared his enthusiasm for businesses working together to amplify Meals with Impact’s reach.

“Seeing Meals With Impact turn a community need into a lasting social enterprise is really inspiring. Cater Central is proud to be helping them secure the right equipment to support their growing impact.”

With this support, Meals with Impact equipped their kitchen with essential Certified Used commercial equipment, including freezers, a vacuum sealer, and a dishwasher—critical tools for scaling their operations.

SilverChef team members in Victoria lending a hand to support the amazing work of Meals with Impact

Empowering women, building careers

With increased demand and new funding, Meals with Impact expanded its workforce and, in 2023, opened a social enterprise café. They also launched a corporate volunteering program, helping fund the donation of 600 culturally appropriate meals per week.

Since its inception, over 70 migrant and refugee women have received training and employment through Meals with Impact.

Many have continued working with the organisation, while others have used their newfound confidence and skills to secure jobs elsewhere. One participant from Iran, despite holding an MBA, struggled to land interviews before joining Meals with Impact. After six months of experience, she secured a role at a major hotel chain.

Fuelling future growth

“SilverChef’s support has helped us scale production and ensure our meals are high quality and safe for storage,” said Harris Ryan, Managing Partner of Meals with Impact.

“We wouldn’t have achieved this level of community impact without their support, and we’re excited to continue growing our mission together.”

SilverChef’s Community-Equip

Developed to support groups and organisations who use hospitality to support disadvantaged or marginalised members of our community.

You can read more about our Community-Equip finance product here.