Food for the community.
D2E is a passion project turned into something bigger and better than CEO and Founder d’Arcy Witherspoon could have ever imagined. This non-for-profit is backed by countless community oriented organizations, schools. & public access places. Having a D2E bin near by means your community is helping our community.
-
We strive to create a safe and welcoming environment for those in need of a meal, company and care. Our entire operation is based on the foundation of giving care and respect to everyone. If you are in need of personalised help please contact us and we can provide you with what you need; or direct you to appropriate resources.
-
We are passionate about the environment, which brings everything else with it; using 10c cans as 90% of all our donation revenue is a nod to how a circular economy can lead to sustainable social change.
Our process has worked for D2E since 2020, the height of the pandemic. Our main goal was to reduce waste. We came to a brilliant solution when researching - something often practised by younger siblings or for donation campaigns is collecting 10c refundable containers. Deeply rooted in Australian culture, is a dedicated bin for those special containers; however, surprisingly big companies often discard this waste alongside other recyclables.
D2E takes this an opportunity to allocate dedicated bins for the public to put their containers into. We also have long term partnerships with retailers like Woolworths where unsold produce and recyclable waste gets donated to us.
-
We aim to host food services five days a week before 2023. For now, you can catch us weekly at these times and locations:
TUESDAY: Browns Park, Ipswich 3:30pm
FRIDAY: Queens Park, Ipswich 4:00pm
-
We recently started an exciting relationship with the YMCA. We store our resources in their facilities where cook and host workshops to educate young students on life skills and the importance of community altruism.
We are partnered with some really appealing local businesses like Heavy 8 Barber who also support our other ventures.
A community working towards a better tomorrow.
Down to Earth is a non-for-profit started in early 2020 by Ipswich local, Darcy Witherspoon. Although Darcy has had years of volunteering experience with aiding the homeless in Ipswich, a bout of mental health struggles in late 2019 spurred him to take action. From the back of his iconic black van, Darcy began serving meals to those experiencing homelessness from Ipswich to greater Brisbane.
He never wanted someone to feel as alone as he did; even if all he could do was to share a meal with them.
A brother or sister to anyone in need.
Although Down to Earth’s initiatives have expanded from hosting food services to more nuanced ways of helping those struggling within the community; funding continues to be sourced from the Containers for Change scheme & community donations. Our current initiatives include: providing direct assistance food and clothing donations, domestic violence and low-income assistance and supporting First Nations communities.
Through all this, Down to Earth is able to achieve its primary goal of building communities and creating a sense of belonging and purpose within people. Every interaction we have with people in the community builds connections and relationships that become a support network for them to rely on.
We make an effort of being down to earth with each person we provide assistance to. Whether we are approached just for a friendly chat, a fulfilling meal or even a vital donation; we are a brother or sister to another. Down to Earth is here as a dependable helping hand for the community to rely on when they need it the most.
