65 million free brekkies.
Even more smiles.

“If I come to school without breakfast, it’s harder to learn,” says Aamena, a student leader at Mount Waverley Secondary College, where we’ve dropped in early, before the morning bell, to join in their Brekky Club. 

“Because of Breakfast Club, I can have cereal or toast or anything I like, and I come to school full… It really helps those who have to come to school early or can’t afford breakfast.” 

We’re here to celebrate a School Breakfast Clubs Program milestone: 65 MILLION BREAKFASTS served to school kids right across the state. That’s 65 million mornings made a whole lot brighter for students across 1,381 Victorian schools. Happy kids with bellies full of healthy food heading to class, content and ready to learn.

As Year 7 and 8 students wander into the breakfast room, they pour themselves bowls of Vita Brits and Cheerios, and spread Vegemite on fresh bread. They grab apples, oranges and fruit cups, and take a seat at one of the many tables. For Molly, it’s a great place to have fun with her friends over a game of Uno or Connect 4. “You can meet someone new and have a good bond with them over food,” she says. Every school does Breakfast Club their own way. But all make a huge difference to the 600,000 kids who can access the free program, run in partnership with the Victorian Government, and offered to all government schools.

“The School Breakfast Club is vitally important,” says Deputy Premier Ben Carroll, who’s joined us for the landmark celebrations. “All the evidence shows that young people with food in their tummy concentrate better in the classroom, it’s a more civil classroom. “I think we do it better than anywhere in the world here in Victoria, and it’s something we should be very proud of – and 65 million meals shows just what a success it is.”

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How Brekkie Club became a vital recovery hub

The first few weeks of a new school year can be hard – getting to know your new classmates and your teachers and getting back into the habit of homework and study.

But for the students at 29 Victorian schools from Cobram to Lorne, the start of the school year has been even more challenging. Many of these kids, their families and their friends are still feeling the devastating effects of the January bushfires that burned more than 400,000 hectares across the state – an area five times the size of Singapore.

To support these school communities, Foodbank’s School Breakfast Clubs Program, run with the Victorian Government, is providing additional food relief. All schools impacted by bushfires are being offered School Breakfast Club supplies and have been invited to order additional take-home food packs that provide nourishment to students and their families after the school day ends. 

Foodbank Victoria CEO Dave McNamara says: “Foodbank is proud to deliver this vital program, providing healthy meals to kids and their families who need a bit of extra support right now, as part of our broader bushfire relief and recovery response.”

Foodbank Victoria’s breakfast clubs began as a way to assist families affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. “We put fridges in schools and we delivered fresh produce,” recalls Dave. “We did milk runs with vans and bought some breakfast products: UHT milk, cereal, bread. It was pretty basic, but it made a real difference.” 

With the support of the state government, the School Breakfast Clubs Program was officially launched in 2016. Today, students in more than 1,300 primary and secondary schools have access to a healthy, nourishing breakfast. 

“The School Breakfast Clubs Program provides more than just nutritious food – it improves concentration and learning outcomes, builds social skills, improves attendance, and it’s a fun way to start the day with friends,” says Dave. 

“I think it’s one of the best assets Victoria has, because it ensures the possibility of a bright future for all Victorian kids.”

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Win BIG (and make an even bigger impact!)

Raffle some feathers for Foodbank!

Actually, there aren’t any feathers involved – unless you count feather light upholstery! By purchasing a $10 raffle ticket, you can help us raise vital funds to support families right across the state. Every ticket sold makes a real difference, helping feed Victorians doing it tough.

You’ll also go in the running to win an amazing $300K first prize pack, including a BMW, a Mini Countryman and more than $140,000 in Gold Bullion. Tickets are limited and entries close 12 March 2026, so best be quick – before you miss out!

Buy tickets!

Promoter is 50-50 Foundation Ltd. Permits and T&Cs at playforpurpose.com.au.

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Chrissie Swan’s Pumpkin & Goat’s Cheese Tart

“There is a saying that speaks to my soul on an almost cellular level: ‘If in doubt, add a mountain of garlic.’ But also: ‘Food is love made visible.’ Five words. All the feels,” writes Foodbank Victoria ambassador Chrissie Swan.

And that’s what we get from you: the feels. Without your kindness, we couldn’t do what we do. So here’s a small something for you: dinner on us. Here’s an idea for tea tonight from Chrissie’s new cookbook The Shortcut Queen, packed with veg and cheesy goodness. Enjoy!

Ingredients

    Serves 6-8
  • 20 g butter
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra to drizzle
  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 3 large red onions, sliced
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 800 g kent pumpkin, peeled and cubed
  • 200 g marinated goat’s cheese
  • rocket leaves, to serve
  • balsamic glaze, to serve
SOUR CREAM PASTRY
  • 250 g very cold salted butter, chopped into small pieces
  • 300 g (2 cups) plain flour
  • good pinch of sea salt flakes (I like it salty!)
  • 150 g sour cream

  • This recipe is from The Shortcut Queen by Chrissie Swan, published by Plum, photography by Mark Roper.

Method

To make the sour cream pastry, throw the butter, flour and salt into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. (Actually, that’s what I’ve always used but maybe it should be the plastic one? Anyway, I digress…) Now you just pulse, pulse, pulse (like with shortbread) until it looks like sand. Add the sour cream and pulse again until it starts to gather together into a ball-type scenario. Seriously, this is all that’s required!

As soon as it’s rolling around all together, take the dough out and, even though you’re desperate to bake it, you must wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for a full hour. (I have been known to expedite this process – because I’m greedy – by putting it in the freezer for 20–30 minutes.)

Meanwhile, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Throw in the rosemary sprigs, then turn the heat way down to low and add the onion with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent anything from catching. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up as you don’t want the onion to burn. Add the sugar and cook for a further 5–7 minutes or until caramelised. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced. Toss the pumpkin with the remaining oil on a baking tray and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until just tender. Set aside.

Take your pastry out of the fridge and throw some flour onto a work surface. Sprinkle some more flour on the pastry and roll it out to a large rectangle with a thickness of about 5 mm. Transfer it to a 26 cm x 38cm baking tray. Prick the pastry with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

Take the pastry out of the oven and layer your tart in this order: caramelised onion, roast pumpkin and goat’s cheese. Bake for a further 20 minutes. Pile high with rocket, a good squirt of balsamic glaze and a little extra olive to drizzle.

HEAVEN!

Every $1 donated is
2 meals created

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5 MILLION meals – thanks to YOU!

Victorians really are the MOST generous people on earth – helping us raise over 5,000,000 meals in our Christmas Appeal!

Tilly arrived at one of Foodbank’s free community Christmas lunches at the Morwell Community Food Centre with mum and dad and showed us how the most simple and beautiful gesture can change someone’s day. Can lift people up and get them through a not-so-great week, month or year. Thanks Tilly…you’re amazing 😊 

Meanwhile in Melbourne, our farmers style markets gave 500 hard-working families the chance to fill their baskets and bags with more than 8,000 kilos of fresh produce and essential ingredients while the bluesy sounds of our live band brought smiles to all those tired faces.

We know how much your support meant to all those families and market visitors… because they told us!

“I’ve been coming to Foodbank for a couple of years, and it’s been a real help. I struggled to afford food and basic things. Foodbank has been such a blessing — I’m really glad it’s here.”

Kathy

“Sometimes I’m short of food, and this organisation has always been kind and gentle when I need help. I’m happy to be here.”

“I used to be a chef. I can cook from almost anything — even flour, I can make fresh pasta. My spaghetti marinara? No one makes it like I do.”

Francisco

“I’m out of work, so I pay the bills before I buy food. There’s often nothing left.”

“We skip meals. Holidays? No money. No plans.”

Doug

“Whatever we have, I try to make work — baking bread, Vegemite scrolls, anything. I sit and think about what we can make just so we can eat.”

“Without this help, it’s really hard. Everything’s so expensive. I just try to make things that will fill us up.”

Jillian

“I’ve been through domestic violence, and this support has meant so much. The food is amazing, and I’m really grateful for all the help.”

Kelly

“After my husband’s work accident, we hit hard times. Without this support, it would be that choice — food on the table or the lights on.”

“The help here has been incredible. When we’re back on our feet, I hope I can give back.”

Tania

Every $1 donated is 2 meals created

More stories below

When fires change everything –  Leanne’s long road to recovery

In the days and weeks after the fires began, we’ve witnessed first-hand incredible acts of kindness, of people coming together to support each other through extraordinary hardship… like you always do.

Leanne and her husband had a dream — to retire to the country and spend their days enjoying the quiet beauty of rural Carlisle. But things have been tougher than they ever expected. As pensioners, they worked hard to build up their six acre property and care for their livestock, which helped feed both them and their extended family. To make ends meet, they began accessing their local foodbank to supplement their meals. “That market day saves me and my husband. I often forgo feeding us to feed my animals.”

Then, just last weekend, fire arrived at their back door. Leanne was evacuated with their dogs and cat, while her husband stayed behind to look after the other animals. This is where we met her at the Colac Showgrounds in the emergency relief centre. She was staying in a caravan.

After evacuations, Leanne says it’s the recovery that’s hardest: “The evacuation is a lot, but then you have to go back and sort everything out.”

This is why we need to be there for the long term, to support people like Leanne and her husband not just in the moment of crisis, but also through the long road to recovery.

Every $1 donated is
2 meals created

More stories below

From little things mega things GROW

Did you know that Australia produces three times more than enough food to feed our population? Yet every year more than 50 million kilos of fruit and veggies never leave our farms when supply exceeds demand.

With your help, we’ve created our program GROW – a new way to get more healthy food to communities across the state.
Click the video below to see how you’re helping to GROW the amount of food we supply to hungry communities every day.



Every $1 donated is
2 meals created

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You had us at Altona!

Step inside the doors of our brand new warehouse!

Click the video below to join our CEO Dave on a virtual tour of our brand-new digs at 459 Kororoit Creek Road, Altona.

Every $1 donated is
2 meals created

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Free, fresh food – that’s what’s making these students smile!

Picture this. You’ve just gotten home to cook yourself a filling meal for dinner… only you’re living off a Uni student’s budget. What kind of ingredients spring to mind?

If 2-minute noodles and baked beans are what popped into your head, you’d be spot on. That’s the reality international students are facing across Australia, according to a recent study from Allianz Partners, as part of their State of Student Healthcare Report.

International students contribute a whopping $34 billion into our economy each year, and in return? The current cost of living crisis has meant that more than a third of international students in Australia can’t afford fresh fruit and veggies in their weekly shop.

Luckily, not all those students have to go hungry thanks to Allianz Partners, who have partnered with Foodbank Australia to help supply the fresh food and pantry staples students so urgently need.

Our first international student food market took place this July, with more markets to follow across Uni campuses throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, offering students attending the markets the opportunity to “shop” for free fruit, veggies and pantry essentials.

Thanks to our friends at Allianz Partners, these markets have helped us fill the fridges and pantries of so many international students who would otherwise be going without, right across the country – meaning no more pot noodle dinners in these student’s futures, as far as the eye can see!

Monash University student at a Foodbank Farms to Families market

Monash University student at a Foodbank Farms to Families market

Every $1 donated is 2 meals created

A message from our CEO