OUR COMMITMENT TO FEEDING VICTORIANS HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER, ENSURING THE RIGHT FOOD WAS DELIVERED WHERE IT WAS NEEDED AS THE COST OF LIVING INTENSIFIED. WE’RE SO PROUD OF WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED THIS YEAR, FROM RECORD DISTRIBUTION TO THE ROLLOUT OF LARGE-SCALE FOOD CENTRES THAT WILL SUPPORT HARD-HIT REGIONAL COMMUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
What a year.
We saw Victorian communities wrestle with consecutive interest rate rises, escalating costs of living and the lingering effects of lockdowns alongside devastating bushfires and floods. At every turn, Foodbank has been there with the essential food supplies people needed to get back on their feet.
In the face of strong inflationary and logistical challenges, our team was always closely aligned with our partners. Schools, local community groups, and charity partners all experienced major cost increases, affecting supply chains at every level. Working together we found solutions to deliver 23.9 million meals - an unprecedented volume of food out through the network.
Getting the right food, to the right people, in the right place, at the right time, has been our priority. We launched a data driven approach to investigate the needs of all 79 local government areas and understand the gaps. From there we developed individualised food plans hand in hand with our community partners, resulting in a wider variety of culturally appropriate foods. Our Healthy Food Plate initiative helped our communities move away from high-sugar items to take up healthier options.
While the uplift in distribution was exceptional, we did experience supply chain disruptions. The cost of food continued to rise, geopolitical tensions increased, and there were more environmental emergencies. We reduced the impact of these issues with a new inventory system, and by growing our industry partnerships, and improving the capacity of our packing line.
Our focus on regional Victoria led to an ambitious plan to launch two new regional Community Food Centres in Ballarat and Morwell. Offering a ground-breaking approach, these centres are set to provide a new concept to regional communities that improves food security through local supply and ongoing educational opportunities. Our Ballarat site opened in June, and Morwell is nearly complete.
The School Breakfast Clubs Program saw significant increases in demand and we were able to respond and deliver record amounts of food to schools – 45% more than the previous year. We reached and celebrated the significant milestone of 30 million meals delivered since the program began.
Our ability to be nimble meant we could offer ondemand ordering to schools, resulting in students enjoying more apples and pears than ever before.
Fresh food distribution increased by 41%, improving health and behavioural outcomes in schools and for Victorians more broadly.
Our Farms to Families Markets gave us the chance to witness and appreciate the awesome resilience of the communities we serve. It’s remarkable what people can endure and yet they still show up smiling. We met a mother of four and her husband who had lost his job during lockdowns. Despite his efforts to retrain as a mature-aged apprentice, interest rate rises hit alongside the cost of living crisis and he was unable to find a job. The family found themselves in a food queue at our market for the very first time, just like so many others this year. Unsure of how they were going to feel but grateful to land in a community that would wrap its arms around them, no questions asked.
Our incredible Foodbank team, along with volunteers, and corporate and Government partners are the force behind everything we achieve. It’s not surprising that we’ve experienced such a strong surge in demand to join our team, and partner with us. This vibrant and welcoming culture will expand, along with our ability to scale up and deliver what our community needs as we move our facilities to a new location in 2025.
Dave McNamara CEO, Foodbank Victoria
Steve Audsley
CHAIR, Foodbank VictoriaA special thanks to our Foodbank Victoria Board Members FY2022-23
Stephen Audsley - Chair
Juliette Alush
Amber Collins
Robert Babb
Claire Hooper
Tom Kimpton Tass Mousaferiadis
Catherine Dixon Rodney Jackson (2022)
“We can’t ignore the challenges facing our communities. Our team continues to make a profound impact on the lives of Victorians, and this year has been another example of our unwavering commitment to feeding those in need.”Dave McNamara CEO FOODBANK VICTORIA
People
Volunteers: 2,334
Volunteer Hours: 29,481
Staff: 115
Community Partners
Charities: 521 Schools: 1,000+
Our giving community Our food donors Trusts and Foundations
Financial supporters and partners Victorian Government
Food out: 13.3 million kgs (of food and groceries) 23.9 million meals
IN 93 YEARS OF SOURCING AND DELIVERING FOOD WHERE IT’S NEEDED, WE HAVE NEVER SEEN A YEAR QUITE LIKE THIS ONE.
Almost without exception, our 521 charity partners reported large and sustained increases in people reaching out to them for help this year. In some cases, demand rose by as much as 200%. When cost of living pressures combined with devastating floods to push more working Victorians into food stress for the first time in their lives, our team went above and beyond to support them. We found new ways to increase food donations, and secure additional partners and channels for delivery of fresh, healthy food out to our communities.
By year’s end, 13.3 million kilograms of food, personal care and household items were distributed across all of our partners, including 41% more fresh produce than the year prior. June 2023 was the biggest month of food sourcing in Foodbank’s history, 75% more than our monthly average during the pandemic. These unprecedented volumes helped us support more Victorians in more places especially during those cold winter months.
Our mobile supermarket buses and Farms to Families markets continued to service communities in need across the state, week in and week out. We also hosted two emergency Drive Thru hamper events in July and December, to give working Victorians with no access to charities a way to source urgently needed supplies of fresh food and pantry staples.
Many Victorians were desperate for food and support after being displaced by severe flooding in late 2022, particularly in Shepparton and surrounding areas. With housing affordability and cost of living pressures compounding the stress on communities as they attempted to rebuild, our emergency food hamper program delivered a much needed 475,000 kilos of food and groceries out to flood-stricken regions, suburbs and towns.
Through the combined efforts of our partners, and our incredible staff and volunteers, we upped our distribution of food and groceries through charities and schools by a staggering 27% on the previous year.
KILOS of FOOD + GROCERIES
In 2022-23, we distributed: 13.3 MILLION = 23.9M MEALS
Pantry Staples
Frozen
Product Types Kilos
Total
Fruit,
Personal Hygiene and Household Items
As demand continued to grow, we sourced, rescued and redistributed millions of kilos of fresh, frozen and staple foods thanks to our generous food and grocery donors.
These farmers, growers, food manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers across the food supply chain made sure that our warehouse shelves, fridges and freezers were kept fully stocked with nutritious, culturally appropriate food.
Their support also ensured we could continue to deliver emergency relief and community food programs across the state.
In total, 350 local donors provided 5.1 million kilos of fresh, frozen and pantry staples for our distribution channels. Additionally, we sourced 8.2 million kilos from 85 national donors to help fill empty tables and pantries – a 14% increase on 2021-22.
Epic
When hundreds of homes across Victoria were damaged or destroyed by devastating floods, thousands of people were displaced or left homeless and without access to refrigerators and kitchen appliances. To support Foodbank’s flood relief efforts, Iconic Foods supplied 94,080 servings of ricebased ready-to-eat meals for immediate dispatch to impacted communities.
These small but mighty servings were packed with the nutrition that families and individuals needed when they couldn’t afford food, let alone create a homecooked meal. Thanks to Iconic Foods’ support, our mission to provide healthy food for all continued during one of the toughest times in Victoria’s recent history.
Whether it’s everyday emergencies or times of crisis, we’re always ready to provide support to those that need it. As the Victorian Government’s official emergency food relief partner, this year was another busy one for our team and the incredible partners who put their hands up once again to help us out.
“Foodbank Victoria operates much like the health system. We’re the emergency department for people’s tables.”Dave McNamara CEO FOODBANK VICTORIA
From the moment floods struck parts of Melbourne and regional Victoria in October, Foodbank Victoria was on the ground with the Australian Red Cross distributing hampers full of essential food, grocery and personal care items via our network of local councils, schools, and registered charity partners. Overall, we distributed more than 475,000 kilograms of food out to flood communities, equating to over 856,000 meals.
Beyond natural disasters and floods, so many Victorians were impacted by ongoing cost of living pressures throughout 2022-23. To ease the pain, we launched emergency Drive Thru programs in July and December. These events allowed those who couldn’t attend charities on weekdays to collect hampers of fresh fruit, veggies and pantry essentials directly from us after hours – no questions asked.
Our ability to provide support at this scale was made possible by some incredible friends of Foodbank, in Chobani and Melbourne Markets. These organisations opened their premises for the Drive Thru events and provided volunteers to help out on the day. Our combined teams made sure that every person was warmly welcomed as they drove up to collect their hampers and everyone left with a smile.
Our Drive Thru programs delivered a total of 3,450 hampers of fresh food and staples into the hands of a working cohort that traditionally struggles to access support.
THROUGH OUR 521 CHARITY PARTNERS BIG AND SMALL, WE DELIVERED 8.7 MILLION KILOS OF FOOD AND OTHER ESSENTIALS LAST YEAR. OUR CHARITIES HELPED US WRAP ARMS AROUND PEOPLE IN NEED, PROVIDING MORE THAN JUST A HEALTHY, NOURISHING MEAL.
Across our large network of charity partners, we saw more and more new faces arriving as the numbers grew exponentially; driven up by the entrenched cost of living crisis. People who had never needed to ask for help were reaching out to our partners for the first time, including working parents and double income households facing severe mortgage and rental stress.
Our charities responded as they always do, finding ways to expand or diversify their services to suit the needs of their locals with support from Foodbank. There was a growth in 24/7 charity pantries to give communities easy access to food and groceries outside of work hours and on weekends. Other charities introduced weekly cooked lunches, open to any member of their community who needed a home cooked meal and social connection.
Thanks to the countless hours of hard work behind the scenes by our charity partners, Foodbank Victoria distributed the equivalent of 15.7 million meals to people in need this year.
While most charity partners bounced back from lockdowns this year, some were still struggling to re-engage the same number of volunteers they had on board prior to the pandemic. As demand continued to grow, charities short on volunteers faced greater challenges in distributing food but still found ways to stay open. Given these constraints, the 21.1% increase in food out through our charity network in 2022-23 is an exceptional outcome.
In the heart of Melbourne’s Inner West, you will find Yarraville Community Centre (YCC). Since 1975, YCC has been working tirelessly to provide support services for those who are doing it tough.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, it became abundantly clear that YCC’s existing programs lacked an essential service: food relief. It wasn’t long before CEO Christine McCall launched the Nourish Project, a program dedicated to feeding those in need.
With only a handful of volunteer cooks, the Nourish Project produces an impressive 250 meals every week, which are then distributed directly to the local community. Thanks to a constant supply of fresh, healthy food from Foodbank and community donations, the team is able to stock a large food pantry with fresh food and pantry staples that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“We built the food pantry to provide for our community in a way that focuses on dignity,” Christine explains. “It’s really hard to work out how many people access the pantry, but at the end of each day, it’s always empty.”
Christine has been dedicating her time to YCC for more than 30 years. This past year, she’s noticed more and more people seeking material aid and food relief. Fortunately, the YCC isn’t far from public transport, making it easy for the Yarraville community and people from surrounding suburbs to receive the support they need.
“So much has changed in my 30 years at YCC,” says Christine. “We’ve really increased our capacity and the breadth of our services. I feel blessed that we’re able to provide so much support to people in need throughout our community.”
Without the dedication of our volunteers, scaling up to help 57,000 Victorians a day would be more than a challenge – it would be impossible. We’re indebted to this incredible group of people who donated a combined 29,481 hours last year – what an effort!
Our team of regulars continued to grow in 202223 as we welcomed 177 sets of helping hands to our regular volunteer force (make that 354, if you count each hand)! All up, our regular ‘vollies’ as they are affectionately known contributed 17,618 hours: supporting our warehouse team, packing orders, sorting through produce, and working on our mobile supermarket programs as we ramped up distribution across the year.
Our volunteers also diversified their duties across our operations, many getting involved in vital administration and project work.
These new roles guaranteed more inclusion and opportunities for our volunteers, regardless of physical ability or mobility.
Throughout the year, we hosted 86 hardworking corporate organisations across our two warehouses. These corporate teams made up of 2,157 generous individuals contributed a total of 11,863 hours to Foodbank this year.
Our volunteers are the heart and soul of everything we do here at Foodbank, and we’re incredibly grateful for their loyalty and enthusiasm.
Interested in volunteering? If you’d like to put your hand up to volunteer, please contact our Volunteering Team at volunteering@foodbankvictoria.org.au.
“Through volunteering, I get to learn so much about how food relief really works and understand how Foodbank is supporting the community. It’s the hands-on experience I’ve been looking for while I’m studying food insecurity.”
Since February 2023, Pascal has been a much loved member of our volunteer team.
He originally began volunteering in our fruit and veg department, but after learning the ropes has settled into an ongoing role at our ‘back door’, chatting to Foodbank’s charity partners and providing support as they collect their food orders.
“I’ve found it really interesting engaging with charities directly, and learning more about how Foodbank supports the community,” Pascal says. “There’s a huge range of work our charity partners do. It’s nice to know I’m playing my part while they provide food relief to those doing it tough at the moment.”
Pascal is currently in his third year at university, studying Politics and International Relations. He’s spent the last few years focused on food insecurity across the world, which is exactly what inspired him to start volunteering. “I decided it was about time I learnt about what’s going on in my own country, my own city,” Pascal explains.
“I’ve written essays about what causes food insecurity in developing countries, whether it’s a result of war, corruption, or extreme poverty… but I came to realise that food insecurity effects everyone. There’s no such thing as a country that’s immune to the problem. That’s why I decided to register for volunteering at Foodbank.”
While it can be tricky to find time for volunteering in a busy study schedule, Pascal continues to dedicate his Mondays to Foodbank, each and every week. “We have such a vibrant team on Mondays in the warehouse. I’m so happy to be a part of that,” Pascal enthuses.
Living in Melbourne’s north-east, Pascal spends an hour and a half on the train travelling to our warehouse. It’s safe to say his dedication and commitment have not gone unnoticed amongst our warehouse volunteer team – he’s definitely appreciated here at Foodbank!
AS DEMAND HAS GROWN, OUR FOODBANK TEAM HAS GROWN ALONG WITH IT. THIS YEAR, 115 OF US PUT EVERYTHING WE HAD INTO PROVIDING HEALTHY FOOD FOR ALL VICTORIANS.
In 2022-23, our diverse contingent of passionate, skilled employees increased by 18.6%. To meet the needs of our growing team, we drew on our values of accountability, integrity, respect, empowerment, diversity, and equality this year. These core values are crucial to our community-focused approach as an organisation.
We continued to support our team across our two sites in Yarraville and Brooklyn in 2022-23 and began building our team for the new Ballarat and Morwell Community Food Centres.
Creating a safe and productive workplace is always a priority for us, day in, day out.
This year, we continued to improve and build on our existing safety processes, involving our team in key decision making to create better, safer outcomes for everyone.
We also offered training across the board, including areas of Health and Safety, Culture, and established effective wellbeing and support systems.
To create a benchmark for our people initiatives as we grow, we organised a range of wellbeing activities and engagement surveys that were offered to our team throughout the year. The outcomes of these initiatives will help us elevate people across our organisation – as well as our wider community – for years to come.
Our fantastic culture at Foodbank Victoria continued to be influenced by the great people that make up our organisation. Our food sourcing coordinators, our volunteers, the fundraisers, our truck drivers – our entire team is focused on making an impact across everything we do.
As our community faced a growing cost of living crisis, our School Breakfast Clubs Program made significant strides in addressing food security among school children and their families. In partnership with the Department of Education, Foodbank Victoria is proud to have hit the milestone this year of serving 30 million meals to students since the program began in 2016.
We’ve seen a significant increase in demand from schools right across Victoria. Requests for Home Food Packs increased by 70% in 2022-23 reflecting the severe impact of steep price rises in almost every area of household expenditure. Our Home Food Packs became a lifeline for countless families struggling to make ends meet. Full of nutritious food, these packs work hard to bridge the gap between access to healthy food and the looming threat of malnutrition for many vulnerable children and their families.
Beyond addressing immediate need, we’re always working towards making our School Breakfast Clubs sustainable as our program continues to grow. Through the successful management and delivery of the School Breakfast Clubs Appliance Grant, we were able to equip schools with resources to strengthen their capacity for years to come.
The Appliance Grant gifted $2,000 worth of appliances to every school in the program in every corner of Victoria. Toasters, blenders and microwaves proved to be the most popular, so we expect to see more stacks of hot toast, a healthy collection of smoothies, and warm porridge coming the students’ way soon!
Hallam Primary School provided this heartfelt thank you to Foodbank for the appliance provision: “We are a highly multicultural disadvantaged school community, so our Brekkie Club is very important to our families. Currently we average about 40+ students for brekkie each day. Your appliances will make life easier for the Breakfast Coordinator who loves to make marvellous smoothies on special days and uses a microwave oven every day to heat up baked beans and spaghetti for toast.”
As the ongoing cost of living crisis stops families from being able to fill their tables and school lunch boxes with fresh, healthy food, our School Breakfast Clubs Program continues to be there for them. Throughout 2022-23, our team has remained dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of school children, their families, and Victorian communities.
Empowering communities through food literacy is at the heart of our Cooking Classes Program. Over the past year, we have successfully achieved the milestone of cooking class delivery in over 100 schools, touching the lives of the individuals and families that take part.
Developing a comprehensive four-part Cooking Classes film series was one of our key accomplishments this year, providing a vital resource for families connected to our School Breakfast Clubs Program looking to reinforce their cooking skills.
Each video meticulously replicates a Cooking Class session, providing detailed recipes, session topics, and learnings. This innovation has ensured that everyone has access to the class content, regardless of their schedule and attendance history.
The ongoing cost of living crisis has had a profound impact on the way we approach cooking and nutrition at Foodbank Victoria. As the cost of food items and ingredients continued to fluctuate, we focused on the most economical recipes, featuring interchangeable ingredients.
In providing essential cooking skills and promoting food literacy through this program, we hope to equip individuals and families with the knowledge and confidence they need to make informed choices about their nutrition.
This not only benefits the overall health of students, but also fosters a sense of community as individuals come together to share their experiences, and create a collective understanding of food, and the impact it can have on their lives.
Our Cooking Classes have evolved into more than just cooking lessons. They act as a lifeline during times of financial hardship, and a vehicle for providing essential food literacy skills for the many diverse communities across Victoria. As we continue to develop this program, Foodbank remains committed to empowering individuals and communities with the tools they need to thrive.
EMPOWERING REGIONAL VICTORIANS WITH OUR BRAND-NEW PURPOSE-BUILT COMMUNITY FOOD CENTRES.
Remember our big, bold plan to nourish the whole of Victoria? This year, we were busy fulfilling those plans with the construction and development of two state-of-the-art Community Food Centres in Ballarat and Morwell.
With our Ballarat centre constructed and ready for action, we’ve significantly increased our capacity and can now service charity partners in six local government areas stretching hundreds of kms northwest of Melbourne.
Our Morwell centre build is also nearing completion.
Once both warehouses are in operation, we will have significantly extended Foodbank’s supply of healthy, culturally appropriate food for charities, individuals, families and local communities through regional Victoria.
“The more we learn about community, the better we can serve our community. That’s what Foodbank has always been about.”
Dave McNamara CEO FOODBANK VICTORIA
WE’RE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR OUR CORPORATE AND PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS, TRUSTS AND DONORS WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED OUR PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITIES THIS YEAR. THEY ARE THE WIND BENEATH OUR WHEELS.
• Aesop
• AusNet
• Australian Gas Infrastructure Group
• Bennelong Funds Management
• Bild Group
• BFT
• Chobani
• Coates
• Coles
• DECJUBA Foundation
• Don Smallgoods
• DoorDash
• EnergyAustralia
• ExxonMobil
• Fordham Group
• Happsa Group
• Lineage Logistics
• Melbourne Airport
• Melbourne United Basketball Club
• Minimax
• Origin Energy
• Peters Ice Cream
• Port of Melbourne
• Presidian Group
• Sunny Queen
• Vanguard
A sincere thanks to the following trusts and foundations, who have generously supported our operations throughout the 2022-23 financial year.
• Bagot Gjergja Foundation
• Dyer Family Trust
• Eucharistic Community Ltd
• Guthrie Family Charitable Trust
• Harry Kestin Foundation
• Johnstone Family Foundation
• Phil Taylor Foundation
• The Jack and Hedy Brent Foundation
• The Orloff Family Charitable Trust
• The PB Senn Family
• The Stuart Leslie Foundation
• Weily Tribe Foundation
• Women of the University Fund Inc - Melbourne University
Special thanks to John & Mary Grant, John & Jo Grigg, David & Bindy Koadlow, and Rob & Roz Milne, who gave generously to support our mission to provide healthy food for all. Thanks also to Pressroom Partners for their ongoing support, including the design of our Annual Report.
The unwavering financial support of generous, like-minded philanthropic partners The Collie Foundation, the Jack Brockhoff Foundation, and John & Lyn Levy meant we could continue to support those in need through our core food relief programs in 2022-23, with very special thanks to Tania Austin and the DECJUBA Foundation.
Our mobile supermarket buses and our Farms to Families markets provide some of our most disadvantaged and hard to reach communities with food they can access easily with dignity. With the support of our partners, we were able to distribute 359,600 meals through these programs in 2022-23.
Our Ballarat Community Food Centre was built and completed in 2023 in partnership with the Victorian Government, with additional financial support generously provided by the Cox Family Foundation, Nathan & Susan Pinskier, and the Randall Foundation.
Our Morwell Community Food Centre build in partnership with the Victorian Government began in 2023, with plans to officially open in the coming financial year.
Special thanks to McAllister Family Foundation and Nathan & Susan Pinskier for their additional financial support.
OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS ARE LIKE ANGELS IN HIGH VIZ. THIS YEAR, THEIR TEAMS CONTINUED TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND ADVOCATE FOR OUR CAUSE, CONTRIBUTING AN AWE-INSPIRING 11,863 VOLUNTEER HOURS TO FOODBANK.
Our partnership with AusNet Services hit its two-year milestone in 2022-23. Helping us deal with natural disasters and floods across Victoria, we’re thankful to have had AusNet Services’ support in times of need throughout another difficult year for our community. Through AusNet Services dedication, our ongoing partnership reached a significant goal in November 2022, with over 500,000 meals distributed to Victorians in need.
“Foodbank is one of Victoria and Australia’s most trusted and impactful charities and, sadly, with the cost of living crisis the need has never been greater. Now in its second year, our partnership with Foodbank gives our people a fantastic day out volunteering with their colleagues, while making a real impact to Victorians doing it tough.”
Karen Winsbury, General Manager, Communications & Brand at AusNet Services
AusNet @ Foodbank
Port of Melbourne has been providing invaluable support to Foodbank Victoria since beginning their partnership with us in 2018. 2022-23 was another fantastic year working in partnership with Port of Melbourne, who were able to witness their impact first-hand through our team volunteering programs, both at our markets and in our Yarraville warehouse. Port of Melbourne has now provided nearly 1.7 million meals since beginning their partnership with us in 2018.
As a company empowered by positive change, Chobani provides immeasurable support for Foodbank Victoria. The Chobani team continues to find inspiring new ways to give back to our community, whether it’s the weekly food donations that show up to our Yarraville warehouse without fail, or the thousands of food hampers distributed through our Drive Thru programs, we can always rely on Chobani’s unwavering support.
“Our partnership with Foodbank is not just a collaboration; it’s a friendship based on a shared mission to use food as a force for good. It’s a journey that has evolved from humble weekly yogurt donations to a deeply collaborative effort that empowers us to push beyond the norms within our industry. Together, we are dedicated to making a meaningful impact in our communities and tackling food insecurity.”
Tim Browne, General Manager ESG & General Counsel, Chobani
Year on year, our partnership with DECJUBA Foundation continues to make a significant impact on our operations and mobile food programs at Foodbank Victoria, thanks to their generous and unwavering financial support. As of July 2022, DECJUBA Foundation has committed to fund our mobile supermarket program for the next three years, enabling over 60,000 kgs of food to be distributed to families in need per year. DECJUBA Foundation also generously acted as our matched giving partner for our 2022 Christmas Appeal, matching every dollar donated and helping us raise an impressive total of $500,000 thanks to their $250,000 donation.
“Port of Melbourne are pleased to have partnered with Foodbank since 2018. We are thrilled to have provided nearly 1.7 million meals to Victorians and our employees have gained invaluable experience through Foodbank’s volunteering program. We look forward to continuing this important partnership to help Victorians.”
Saul Cannon, Chief Executive Officer, Port of Melbourne
“Our three-year commitment to Foodbank’s mobile supermarket bus program will provide over 60,000 kgs of food each year to people who need it most. At DECJUBA Foundation, we believe everyone deserves essentials, and we’re excited to continue to support Foodbank in the amazing work they do to positively impact thousands of lives every day.”
Tania Austin, Owner & CEO, DECJUBA Foundation Chobani @ FoodbankWe were thrilled to begin our partnership with Melbourne Airport in 2022-23 and enjoyed our fantastic first year working with their team. With the demand for food relief continuing to rise due to the current cost of living crisis, Melbourne Airport’s support has been invaluable. Volunteering in our warehouse and at our markets has given their team the opportunity to see the real difference they’re making, deepening their connections with their community, as well as across their team.
“The opportunity to partner with Foodbank Victoria has been a hugely rewarding experience for our people at Melbourne Airport. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and to take a step back and help our community through the prism of volunteering with Foodbank Victoria, has allowed us to create connections that matter, making a real difference daily to Victorians in need.”
Andrew Grealy, Head of Culture & Engagement, Melbourne Airport
As our longest-standing partner, Peters Ice Cream played a vital role in our food relief efforts again this year. In collaboration with our partner Montague, Peters launched ‘Rescue Pops’: a delicious sorbet product created with plums diverted from landfill. This product was made available at Woolworths Supermarkets, with sales raising funds for Foodbank Victoria. Peters continued to offer support across our organisation throughout 2022-23, thanks to donation of product, financial support, employee fundraising, workplace giving, and volunteering. As of this year, Peters’ generous support has amounted to an impressive milestone of 2 million meals since first partnering with us in 2016 – and counting!
“All at Peters Ice Cream greatly value our long-term partnership with Foodbank Victoria. We feel honoured to contribute in a modest way to the impactful efforts of Foodbank in aiding those in need.”
James Bell, Head of People & Performance, Peters Ice Cream Melbourne Airport @ Foodbank
In November 2022, five special organisations took on the 185km ride of their lives up Mt Buffalo, on a one-day ride for the sixth annual Corporate Hunger Ride.
Our cyclists were excited to join Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Simon Gerrans as he led 27 riders on their demanding uphill route. It was an impressive feat watching teams push themselves to their limits and raise funds in support of Foodbank.
Riders in this year’s Hunger Ride represented teams from BFT, BildGroup, Coles Group, Fordham Group, and Lineage Logistics.
Event sponsor Bennelong Funds Management supported the Hunger Ride again last year, continuing to put passion behind the cause.
Thanks to the enthusiastic riders, donors, support staff and volunteers, an incredible $163,786 was raised through the November 2022 Hunger Ride, providing an equivalent of 327,572 meals for Victorians in need.
THANKS TO OUR INCREDIBLE GIVING COMMUNITY, WE WERE ABLE TO FILL THOUSANDS OF PANTRIES AND FRIDGES EVERY DAY THIS YEAR.
Demand is always at its strongest towards the end of the year. The festive season is often the time when getting food on the table is not only hard for our community but is emotionally so challenging. Which is why the impact of our matched giving partner meant so much. The philanthropic arm of DECJUBA, DECJUBA Foundation, played a critical role in our fundraising once again this year. Matching every dollar donated as part of our 2022 Christmas Appeal, DECJUBA Foundation committed to a matched giving pledge of $250,000. With the support of our giving community and DECJUBA Foundation’s generosity, our Matched Giving campaign raised the equivalent of one million meals.
“DECJUBA Foundation was so proud to be the major matched giving partner for Foodbank’s 2022 Christmas Appeal campaign, putting one million meals on the table for people in need.”
Tania Austin, Owner & CEO DECJUBA FoundationWe were lucky enough to be selected as the charity partner for the Old Vic production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol last Christmas. In their first Melbourne season, we were blown away by the generosity of the cast, crew, and the thousands of Victorians who donated. Each night, cast member David Wenham ended the show by sharing our Foodbank story with the audience.
By the end of the season, it was clear that his call to action had made quite the impact, with the production raising the equivalent of 468,000 meals for Foodbank Victoria – all thanks to the support of the cast, the crew, and our giving community.
No child, and no adult, should have to come home to an empty fridge or pantry. You can support us in the following ways:
Funds
All donations to Foodbank go straight to our food relief and program development work in Victoria. For every $1 we receive, we’re able to provide 2 meals for someone in need. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. To donate, head to our website or give us a call.
Food
If you’re in the food industry, talk to us about the benefits of becoming a food donor. Call or email us to get in touch.
If you’re an individual, or part of a workplace, school or community group, hold a food drive to collect and donate much-needed pantry staples and hygiene items. Visit our website for details.
Volunteer
We can’t do what we do without volunteers. Have some free time and want to contribute in our warehouse, at our pop-up markets or community events? Visit our website for details.
Partner
Are you a part of an organisation that’s looking to give back?
Our partners are extended members of the Foodbank family, and we are committed to nurturing these relationships to achieve positive outcomes together. Call us to learn more about partnership opportunities.
03 9362 8300
foodbank.org.au
info@foodbankvictoria.org.au
4/2 Somerville Road Yarraville Victoria 3013
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