SCA Embrace: Charity partnership with Foodbank Australia and Make-a-Wish Australia

13 December: SCA today announced a two-year partnership with Make-A-Wish Australia and Foodbank Australia as part of its charity program, SCA Embrace, commencing 1 January 2022.

Launched in 2016, SCA Embrace will continue its commitment to corporate social responsibility and the two charities will be provided with in-kind advertising campaigns, strategic support, and consumer insights as well as content and promotional support across SCA’s media assets. SCA staff will also be encouraged to be involved in areas such as creative ideation, research, local community activities, and volunteering opportunities.

SCA CEO, Grant Blackley, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Foodbank Australia and Make-A-Wish Australia. We are all very aware of the difficulties the non-for-profit sector has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we look forward to supporting both organisations for this two-year term.

“Since its inception in 2016, SCA Embrace has provided $135 million of in-kind advertising to our charity partners. To know that our people’s time and expertise, along with our broad media reach is making a noticeable impact to the lives of many Australians is both a privilege and pleasure on behalf of our company and people”.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, said: “The issue of hunger in Australia is largely hidden by stigma and shame, but the reality is we’re all likely to know someone who has gone hungry in the face of hardship. This invaluable partnership with Southern Cross Austereo will deliver Foodbank a national platform to help speak on behalf of those who wouldn’t otherwise have a voice and help us get food relief to every adult and child who needs it.

“Foodbank is currently feeding more than one million people each month, but sadly, we know there are many more who don’t ask for help. They may feel someone else needs help more than them, or they may feel ashamed or embarrassed. Through SCA Embrace, we hope to break the stigma and tell the nation that it is ok to ask for help. Life happens to us all and Foodbank will always be here to help. We couldn’t be more grateful to the SCA team for believing in our vision of an Australia without hunger and we look forward to a long and impactful relationship that changes the lives of vulnerable Australians.”

Make-A-Wish Australia CEO, Sally Bateman, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be selected as one of SCA’s charity partners. Helping critically ill children find hope is something we all have the power to do. With our ‘Be Inspired’ program, and this important partnership with SCA Embrace, we will be able to reach millions of Australians across the country and make more incredible wishes come true for children with critical illnesses. With over 800 children patiently counting down the days until their wish is possible due to the impacts of COVID-19, there has never been a more important time.”

FoodLegal partners with Foodbank Australia

7^th December 2021: Australia’s experts in Australian Food Law, FoodLegal have become an official supporter of Foodbank Australia, the country’s leading food and grocery relief organisation responsible for distributing 48.8 million kilograms of food and grocery relief to 2,950 charities nationwide in 2020.

FoodLegal will continue to provide legal assistance and help Foodbank navigate and validate the not-for-profits’ requirements and that of its national donors around the acceptance and distribution of donated food and groceries.

FoodLegal works with food businesses to provide tailored compliance solutions and advice for the Australian market. FoodLegal CEO, Cheryl McLeod says FoodLegal is excited to expand its relationship with Foodbank Australia. “We very much look forward to working more closely with Foodbank to support its objectives in distributing safe, suitable food to those in need.”

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey says this donated service will be invaluable. “We thoroughly welcome FoodLegal to the Foodbank family. As a national supporter the team’s expertise and knowledge will help us ensure that we, our donors and our charities have greater assurance that we are meeting all legal requirements of redistribution safety.”

Foodbank Australia provides food and grocery relief to more than 1 million Australians every month. It works with the entire Australian food and grocery industry including farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers to source fresh and manufactured foods as well as personal and household care items for people doing it tough.

Donations include stock that doesn’t meet industry specifications, is close to expiry or excess to requirements. In addition, companies also make donations as part of their corporate social responsibility commitments.

“We are really grateful for the team at FoodLegal. Working with the complexities of donated food and groceries has occupied so much of our time to ensure we get it right so having the experts from FoodLegal on board, who will be able to do it in a fraction of what we can, is just invaluable.” Ms Casey said.

Foodbank celebrates support from the land

Friday 19^th November: Today on National Ag Day, Foodbank Australia celebrates and highlights the critical role our farmers, growers and producers play to ensure nutritious, fresh food relief is accessible to thousands of communities across the country.

Foodbank works actively with Australia’s generous agriculture industry to provide more than 17 million kilograms of fresh produce, milk, eggs, rice, grains, legumes and protein needed to assist the more than one million Australians each month receiving food relief through the Foodbank network.

Despite enduring some of the toughest periods on record, Australian growers, producers and farmers have continued to support Foodbank throughout. In 2020, Foodbank sourced 88 million meals for its charity partners – 30% of which was sourced directly from our agri programs – and more than 40% of the food and groceries distributed through the Foodbank network nationally goes to rural and regional areas.

This year, Foodbank Australia has extended National Farmers’ Federation’s Ag Day from one day on 19^th November, to an entire week to raise awareness of the support it receives from the Australian agriculture industry and highlight the gaps where support is still needed.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, explains, “We are so fortunate to have such strong relationships with our wonderful growers, farmers and producers who help us ensure those doing it tough have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, rice and so much more. We work with our partners all the way along our ‘surprise chain’ to rescue perfectly imperfect products, meaning we’re filling empty tummies rather than landfill, and ensuring our farmers’ hard work to produce world class food is not wasted. In addition, we have countless farmers and agribusinesses across the country making regular donations and engaging in seasonal programs to ensure we have a consistent supply of in-demand products year-round.

“This Ag Day, we not only want to say a massive thank you to everyone in the agri-sector, but we also want to celebrate this year’s theme, ‘Choose your #AgVenture’, highlighting the many and varied exciting careers in agriculture, both inside and beyond the farm gate. Whether you live in the city or in the country, there is an exciting career to be found in agriculture. My personal AgVenture in farm lobby groups and at Foodbank has been spent living in the city, but my connection to agriculture has been constant and enduring, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be working closely with National Farmers’ Federation members right across Australia as we strive towards zero hunger in Australia”.

Last month Foodbank revealed in the Foodbank Hunger Report 2021 that one in six Australian adults haven’t had enough to eat in the last year and, even more shockingly, 1.2 million children have gone hungry.

“We produce enough food and groceries to feed our population three times over, yet we know there are many people across Australia going without. Foodbank provides an avenue to connect those vulnerable Australians with essential food relief, much of which is donated by Australia’s world class farmers, growers and producers.

“This week is a chance for us to highlight our innovative agri-programs, securing a steady supply of everyday essentials like pasta, pasta sauce, cereal and sausages. In a country the size of Australia these programs couldn’t happen without the added support of equipment and transport providers to help us get it to where it is needed the most.”

Throughout the week, Foodbank will be highlighting its agri program partners and how their products make a difference to the lives of many in our communities across the country every day.

Foodbank would like to thank its national donors, agri-program partners and industry body supporters.

Hunger, a fact of life for too many in Australia

20 October 2021

Foodbank has revealed one in six Australian adults haven’t had enough to eat in the last year and, even more shockingly, 1.2 million children have gone hungry.

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2021, released today, shows that more than half of people impacted by severe food insecurity go a whole day every week without eating.

The report, now in its 10^th year, highlights that the pandemic continues to deliver challenges that are exacerbating pre-existing issues in our community. In addition to those who were already struggling before COVID-19, the pandemic has caused others to experience vulnerability for the first time. In fact, more than one in three of last year’s food insecure Australians (38%) had never been in that position before.

According to Foodbank Australia’s CEO, Brianna Casey: “This is especially disheartening in light of the gains made last year when the Federal Government’s Coronavirus Supplement was able to reduce poverty for so many.”

Ms Casey says the issue of food insecurity in Australia has never been more prominent than it is right now.

“The global pandemic has put a spotlight on the crisis that for too long has gone under society’s radar,” commented Ms Casey.

The report highlights that food insecurity is not restricted to the ‘obvious’ vulnerability groups in the community such as homeless people and the unemployed. It shows people of every age, living alone, in families and in groups are susceptible. Food insecurity is shown to affect people in cities right through to those in remote areas and surprisingly, it affects more people in some form of employment (64%) than those who have none.

“The key findings in this report are indeed confronting, but we can’t fix a problem we don’t understand or acknowledge. Although Foodbank is now providing food relief to a record one million people a month, we know many experiencing hardship feel there are others worse off and don’t ask for help. That is heartbreaking to know, and if there is one thing I can stress, it’s that there is no shame in asking for help, and in fact, it’s exactly what we’re here for. Life happens to us all, and we’re here for everyone,” said Ms Casey.

The Foodbank Hunger Report provides a snapshot of the prevalence and depth of the issues of food insecurity as well as insights into the day-to-day experience of people in our community who are doing it tough.

Danone’s Two Good yoghurt announces official partnership with Foodbank Australia

13th September: Danone, the leading global food and beverage company – manufacturer of Two Good yoghurt – has launched its partnership with Foodbank Australia, the country’s largest food and grocery relief organisation.

With the belief that everyone should have access to good food, Danone’s Two Good has teamed up with Foodbank to help reduce food waste and lend a hand to Aussies in need.

As part of Two Good’s new ‘Eat Good. Do Good’ campaign, Danone will be donating 10c from every 150g pot of the delicious, low-sugar yoghurt purchased between 13th September 2021 until 31st October 2021.

Xavier Gonzalez, Senior Brand Manager of Protein & Wellness said: “At Danone we strongly believe that everyone deserves access to good food and have been supporting Foodbank in their mission to help Aussies doing it tough – providing 24,000kgs in donations alone over the past year.

Two Good’s less excess focus (2g sugar, no artificial additives) and belief that good food should never go to waste, made it the perfect fit for a consumer facing partnership with Foodbank Australia.

Throughout this campaign, we’re using our brand platform to encourage people to ‘eat good and do good’ – for each delicious Two Good pot purchased $0.10 will be donated to Foodbank to support Aussies in need.”

With every $1 donated to Foodbank going towards two meals, our consumers will have the opportunity to make a tangible difference.

Just one 150g pot of Two Good’s delicious, low-sugar yoghurt each day throughout the month of October can provide six meals to Australians in need. By choosing Two Good, you’ll also be opting for a nutritious yoghurt without the excess sugar – helping your body eat good, while doing good”.

Media enquiries

Rebecca Collins
Foodbank Australia
M +61 409 786 132
E rebecca@foodbank.org.au

Nescafé Blend 43 to roast more than 12m cups of coffee for Foodbank 

Nestlé’s iconic coffee brand Nescafé Blend 43 has announced a new partnership with Foodbank which will see 220,000 custom Foodbank Nescafé tins – or 12.5 million cups of coffee – distributed to people in need.  

Manufactured in Gympie Queensland, the dedicated 100g tins of Nescafé Blend 43 will help ensure a sustainable supply of coffee to Foodbank across Australia from September 2021.  

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, said that for many Australians faced with food insecurity, coffee can be one of the first items that they forego. 

“Coffee is consistently one of the most in-demand items for our network of food relief charities across the country, as a humble cup of coffee can have far more benefits than a morning caffeine hit.   

“We find that many of the people we support often become socially isolated. Having coffee in the cupboard can play a significant role in helping to keep people connected – and this collaboration will mean we can ensure a reliable supply,” said Ms Casey.  

Nestlé General Manager of Beverages, Andrew McIver said, “We’re really proud to be able to work with Foodbank and manufacture a bespoke Nescafé Blend 43 product for Foodbank, made in Gympie Queensland”.  

“We understand the simple pleasure that a cup of coffee can bring – one that many of us often take for granted – and we believe it’s something everyone should be able to enjoy.  

“Nescafé has long been committed to helping bring people together. While that may not be possible for all Aussies to do right now, a hot cuppa can often be just the ticket to also take an important break – which is something many of us need now, more than ever.” 

Media enquiries

Rebecca Collins
Foodbank Australia
M +61 409 786 132
E rebecca@foodbank.org.au

Nu-Pure Partners with Foodbank

September 2021 

Foodbank is excited to announce their latest partnership with Nu-Pure Beverages. 

Nu-Pure Beverages is a family-owned business that manufactures 100% Australian-made beverages. Founded in 2005, they are the experts in spring water. Nu-Pure water is sourced from specially selected pristine Australian springs and has a natural and nourishing balance of minerals.

Brianna Casey, CEO of Foodbank Australia said, “We are delighted to welcome Nu-Pure into the Foodbank family. Water is absolutely an essential item that we need to have available for people in times of crisis. It’s even more important during times of natural disaster, when people can be cut off from clean water entirely.” 

COVID-19 and economic uncertainty have created new needs while putting enormous pressure on non-profit organisations. As a result, it has become increasingly crucial for Foodbank to have impactful partnerships like this one with Nu-Pure to help make a difference. 

Most recently, Nu-Pure donated water to Foodbank Victoria to assist during the latest lockdown. 

Barry Hamilton, Owner and Managing Director of Nu-Pure Beverages, said, “Donating water has been a great way for Nu-Pure to support Foodbank, have a meaningful impact and give back to the community. We look forward to continuing to work on this partnership.” 

Together we hope to support more people in the community by providing 

water for healthy, natural hydration. 

Media enquiries

Rebecca Collins
Foodbank Australia
M +61 409 786 132
E rebecca@foodbank.org.au