THE FEEL-GOOD FACTOR MEET OUR VOLUNTEER: HUEY

Huey Nguyen has been a Foodbank warehouse volunteer since January 2022.

Most Fridays, you’ll find her along with her ‘partner in crime’, Kee – a 12-year Foodbank volunteering veteran – helping load the delivery vehicles of our charity partners with desperately needed food supplies.

Huey was compelled into the volunteering space by the example of her ‘Uncle’ John (“In Vietnam, we call everyone uncle!” she explains).

“Uncle John was a humanitarian who helped my family settle in Australia in the 1980s when we were refugees from Vietnam. He inspired me because of his life of service throughout the years.”

Huey is also keen to ensure that her uncle’s legacy lives on.

“I have young kids and I want to be a role model to them. I want them to see that volunteering is a way to be kind to others. If we’re able to help, we should do so.”

As someone passionate about reducing food waste, registering to volunteer with Foodbank was an easy choice for Huey.

“I wanted to align myself with a non-profit organisation I could believe in, and I really like what Foodbank does to help people in need, and the focus on sustainability.”

Lending a hand at Foodbank also links Huey with a community of like-minded people.

“We’re all working towards a common goal, which is reducing food waste and helping others, so it gives you the best endorphin boost.”, she enthuses. “It’s such a nice culture.”

VOLUNTEERING AT FOODBANK, YOU WORK WITH SUCH WONDERFUL PEOPLE. WHEN YOU’RE AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE THE SAME IDEOLOGY AS YOU – WHICH IS, THEY JUST WANT TO HELP AND BE KIND TO OTHERS – THEY INSPIRE YOU.

Now living in Melbourne’s bayside area, Huey loves starting conversations with people in her neighbourhood about Foodbank’s work.

“Not only does it inspire me, but I also find that I inspire others,” explains Huey. “I drop the kids at school and kindergarten on Friday with my Foodbank uniform on, and some of the kids think I work on the roads. ‘Oh, are you digging a hole today?’ they’ll ask. It’s good for them to understand what I do at Foodbank. It gets them to think about how they want to use their free time.”

Our People

OUR FOODBANK FAMILY GREW TO 97 EMPLOYEES WHO GAVE THEIR ALL TO ACHIEVE OUR MISSION OF HEALTHY FOOD FOR ALL, ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING EACH OTHER EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

So much work goes into making sure Foodbank can meet the needs of Victorians doing it tough, as well as providing a safe and secure workplace for our employee family. Never have we drawn more upon our values of accountability, empowerment, integrity and respect than this past financial year.

At the end of the 2021/22 year, we had a total of 97 skilled and committed employees working across the Foodbank organisation –

16% more than last year and a testament to our ability to attract the best people in the toughest of recruitment markets.

Demand for our services has never been higher but, as has been the case right throughout the pandemic, our staff, volunteers and food donors have risen to every challenge that came their way this year.

As well as supporting our staff through the complexities of COVID-19, including large scale, weekly mandatory testing, we spent considerable time responding to the growth in demand for our services. Part of this response involved commencing Foodbank’s new four-year strategy, which has invigorated our organisation and teams.

The coming financial year will see Community Food Centres built in Ballarat and Morwell underpinned by large scale recruitment and training programs. Along with many other improvements to how we operate, the introduction of these Community Food Centres has prompted the implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP).

Our new ERP will play a vital role in guiding this new strategic direction, as well as supporting staff management and professional development, recruitment, inductions and staffing in regional Victoria and our Melbourne office located within the Yarraville warehouse.

One of the many highlights of the year was bringing people back into the office. Many of our staff and volunteers are ‘foodies’ at heart, and the work that we do with Foodbank provides us with an important sense of purpose.

The lifting of restrictions meant that we could get back to connecting as a workplace community and supporting each other.

WITH EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING A PRIMARY FOCUS FOR US AGAIN IN 2021/22, WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE FREE COUNSELLING SESSIONS AND SUPPORT THROUGH ‘LIFEWORKS’. TO ENCOURAGE OUR STAFF TO PRIORITISE THEIR HEALTH, WE OFFERED FULL REIMBURSEMENT ON A WELLBEING EXPERIENCE OF THEIR CHOICE

In reflecting on the 2021/22 year, it’s important to call out the role that our community of regular and corporate volunteers have played in helping us get food out to people as requests for support grow.

We are incredibly proud of the entire Foodbank Victoria team - from those who volunteer, raise funds, source our food, pack supplies, and drive our trucks to those who run our community food programs.