Blue logo with three white arrows inside a circle, surrounded by the words “Plate It Forward” in bold uppercase letters.

Who we are

Our mission is to create equal opportunity through food, fostering economic independence and social connection. We work across four pillars - food security, training and education, employment, and connection - to empower people facing barriers. Led by founder Shaun Christie-David, our team includes people with lived experience who drive lasting social impact.

What we do

Plate It Forward operates four culturally appropriate restaurants led by our team, along with catering, in-venue food and beverage management, and corporate team-building events. These venues provide sustainable employment pathways, offering paid training and work experience for people facing barriers. We also run community programs aimed at tackling food insecurity and social exclusion. The Social Meal delivers 3,000 nutritious meals weekly to food-insecure communities in Sydney. Our Second Chance Kitchen program offers accredited culinary training and mentoring for justice-involved youth. We are deeply connected to Sydney communities through food relief and extend our impact overseas via meal donations.

Our work

  • Our venues
    Platforms

    Colombo Social, Kabul Social, Kyiv Social, and Kolkata Social offer team-led restaurants providing paid training and employment opportunities while celebrating diverse cuisines and empowering marginalised communities.

    Our venues
  • Our programs

    The Social Meal: An award-winning meal donation program rescuing surplus food to deliver 3,000 nutritious, culturally appropriate meals weekly—reducing food waste and addressing hunger in Sydney's food-insecure communities.

    Our programs
  • Second Chance Kitchen
    Platforms

    Accredited culinary training, mentoring, and paid work experience for justice-involved youth within youth justice centres, supporting pathways to employment and social inclusion.

    Second Chance Kitchen

Head office:

  • New South Wales

Service location(s):

  • New South Wales
  • Outside Australia

Type(s) of actor:

  • Social Enterprises

Team portrait photos - contact us

We’d love to hear from you!

Reach out to one of our team members, and share input and ideas about how we can evolve Understorey.

Get in touch