17 Years of dedication

For the past 17 years Miranda
has been a constant source of passion, dedication and commitment within our organisation.

Through times of change, growth and challenge she has always shown up with a can-do attitude and deep belief in our mission.

At the start of the COVID pandemic Miranda was even seconded to another role – distributing hampers to Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations in regional and remote Western Australia!

From her first day on the job, Miranda has gone above and beyond in her role of School Breakfast Coordinator, before being promoted to Manager of the program. Under her watch, our School Breakfast Program is the second largest in the country now reaching over 28,000 kids per week in over 550 schools.

17 years is more than just time – it’s hundreds of early starts, thousands of tasks well done, and countless moments of kindness and care. We are so proud to celebrate this milestone with Miranda and so grateful for the incredible contribution she has made to our team and the community we serve.

Here’s a short Q&A with Miranda:

Q: What first inspired you to join the organisation 17 years ago? And what kept you motivated all this time? Can you describe what the organisation was like when you started?

A: Funnily enough, being able to afford food was the biggest attraction. I’d recently graduated from uni and was working double-shifts in a call centre to afford rent and food. The job market was terrible at that stage. The School Breakfast Program project officer role sounded interesting and – best of all – was an 18-month fixed term, full time contract! I rocked up to the interview straight from a particularly rough night shift and honestly don’t recall most of what I said, but it must have been good.

Q: What are some of the most significant milestones you’ve witnessed or been part of?

A: My top 5 are:

Clocking up 17 years in one (first real post-uni) job
Working in two Foodbank Perth buildings
Experiencing three CEOs (Kate is by far the most fun)
Celebrating four School Breakfast Program milestones (10, 15, 20 & 25 years)
Delivering on five SBP government contracts

Countless jokes about the Program being my first and favourite child. I won’t dispute this, just don’t tell my real children!!!

Q: What’s one thing you wish people outside the organisation understood better about the work you do?

A: Many people assume the worst about the parents of children that go to school hungry – they’re lazy, neglectful and selfishly spend food money on other things. Honestly, it’s more complicated than that. Many parents choose between keeping a roof over the kid’s heads and buying enough food – try half-paying the mortgage/rent and see how that goes.

Some homes have food available, but kids elect not to eat at home – lack of safety, no adult supervision, or being dropped to school at 7am so both parents can get to work. Lots of energy is wasted on debating the whys and assigning blame, rather than just meeting people’s needs in a non-judgemental and supportive manner.

Q: How has working here changed you personally or shaped your view of the world?

A: I love everything about the role: supporting children to learn and thrive, being part of this amazing Foodbank family, and the flexibility to have not only the job of my dreams, but for the job to be flexible to the needs of my family and something that they are very proud of.