Foodbank Queensland welcomes new CEO

We are pleased to announce, and officially welcome, Foodbank Queensland’s new Chief Executive Officer, Jess Watkinson!

Jess is joining Foodbank Queensland at an exciting time, as we work towards our 5-year strategic goal of creating a sustainable, nutritious, and dignified food and grocery safety net for Queenslanders in need.

This last year has been one of striving to meet the increase in demand for our services. Our ability to provide food relief for vulnerable people has been impacted by housing and accommodation affordability plummeting, and cost of living pressures increasing significantly. However, despite the pressures, we continue to keep our eye on the future and how we can support our Member Charities and their communities better, while also rising to the challenge of alleviating the distress experienced by a growing number of people.

Jess comes to Foodbank with over 20 years’ experience in Government and non-profit roles, having supported many organisations with capacity building, strategy development and growth, and is excited to be part of such an important organisation.

I love working with passionate people, who together want to make a difference. I am looking forward to collaborating with our staff, volunteers, supporters and Member Charities to maximise our impact as we strive towards a Queensland without hunger. All of my life experience – professional, personal and as a volunteer – will help me in being the best leader I can be for Foodbank. – Jess Watkinson

Jess officially commenced with Foodbank Queensland on May 31 2023.

Sheryl’s Story

A proud single mum going hungry to feed her sons

Right now, with the cost-of-living crisis continuing to push household costs through the roof, hardworking mums like Sheryl need your help more than ever.

Latest figures show that households with children are being hit hard by the hunger problem sweeping our state. And it’s single-parent families who are feeling the pressure most of all. Sadly, as many as 37% of single parent families are going hungry, sometimes going whole days without eating.

Sheryl* knows exactly how hard things have become. She does everything she can to provide for her three growing sons. But, as a single mum, it’s not easy. Especially not right now.

Spiralling fuel and grocery prices mean that, after she’s paid the bills and filled the car with petrol to get to work, there’s not enough left over for her whole family to eat properly.

Up until now, she’s managed to put food on the table. But, like so many other hard-working parents, she’s been secretly skipping meals to make sure there’s enough for her kids.

“Some weeks, I might only have one or two evening meals. That way, I have more meat and vegetables and things like that for the boys. You 100% go without so that you know you’ve got things for your children.” – Sheryl

It’s what any mum would do to make sure her kids have what they need to grow up healthy and strong. But, with the cost-of-living crisis set to get even worse this year – and groceries getting even more expensive – Sheryl’s now incredibly worried about the future.

What’s worse, for many parents like Sheryl, the guilt and shame of not being able to provide for their kids stops them asking for help.

As food prices soar, there are more and more families on the edge of requiring assistance. We know from bitter experience that the number of people needing help to put food on the table is about to skyrocket. We need to be ready.

Sheryl is just one of thousands of parents who are faking a smile for their kids. She’s trying to raise three boys – 15-year-old Sean*, 13-year-old Connor* and 8-year-old Callum*. She works all the hours she can, juggling a 9 to 5 job with the pressures of being a full-time mum. But, on a single income, it’s a major challenge to give the boys everything they need. And, as anyone who’s ever lived with teenagers will understand, providing enough food for fast-growing kids is one of the biggest challenges of all.

“It’s nothing for them to do a loaf of bread, if not two loaves of bread in a day. I’m just constantly talking to the kids about, ‘Food’s got to last.’ I’ve even said to them, ‘I’m going to have to start putting food away and drip-feed it to you.’” – Sheryl

Sheryl wishes she had a pantry full of fresh, nutritious food for the boys to enjoy. It breaks her heart when she has to limit what they can eat. But, with the price of food going through the roof, she just doesn’t have any choice.

“We really need to make the food that I purchase last, because there’s just not the money there to continually go out and replace it.” – Sheryl

Like so many parents pushed to the very edge, Sheryl’s found out that the family is only ever one unexpected expense away from a financial crisis.

“I had some big maintenance happen around the house. Hot water service and things like that. That took the savings. Then there’s back-to-school. You have three kids needing two pairs of shoes each. I’m not going to send my kids to school with bare feet, but that’s a massive chunk of money that we just don’t have.” – Sheryl

No parent should ever be put in this awful situation. Sheryl’s situation got so bad that she started going without food so that there was more for her boys. It’s something we’ve been hearing a lot of lately. More and more desperate parents are going from worrying about food to reducing meal sizes – and finally cutting out meals altogether.

Sheryl managed to hide from her children that she was missing meals – but she couldn’t keep it secret forever.

“My really close girlfriend who I work with realised something was up by noticing I wasn’t eating at work. She would make me call in and get leftovers from her family meals and she delivered some groceries to my front door.” – Sheryl

That’s when Sheryl realised things couldn’t go on the way they were: “I needed to put my hand up and say that, ‘Hey, I was struggling.’”

Your generosity can provide fresh food and pantry staples for so many struggling families like Sheryl’s. She’s optimistic about the future and hopes she’ll get a promotion at work, which will help to ease the strain. In the meantime, she knows just how much of a difference your contribution could make.

“Your generosity can help a family that is really, really trying to do everything they can every single day just to keep their head above water.” – Sheryl

Every $1 you donate provides two nutritious meals to someone facing hunger like Sheryl.

*Sheryl is a real Aussie in need. Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Help feed hungry Queensland families like Sheryl’s

A message from Foodbank Queensland CEO

To all of our valued supporters, I have recently made the difficult decision to step down as CEO after three years at the helm, with my last day being 27 April 2023.

My time as CEO at Foodbank Queensland has been full of wonderful challenges, lots of learnings and many incredible partnerships. Over these past few years, Foodbank Queensland has undertaken a rare cultural and operational transformation. Foodbank continues to go from strength to strength and is a wonderful place to work. There are some exciting elements of strategy coming to fruition for Foodbank Queensland, and with a strong leadership team and our community of Queensland supporters, I believe it will be a joyful role for a new CEO to come into.

I am proud to have been part of such an incredible team working tirelessly and passionately to give food and hope to thousands of Queenslanders in need every week. I will continue working with the team and the Board to ensure a smooth transition to a new leader. As for my next move, after many years as a CEO, I am moving on to pursue my passion areas of executive coaching and Board directorship.

Thank you for your continued generosity commitment to Foodbank. Thanks to your kindness, we can continue feeding Queenslanders in need every day.

– Sara Harrup, Foodbank Queensland CEO

A Snapshot of Foodbank Queensland’s Journey Since 2020

The Foodbank team wishes to thank departing CEO Sara Harrup for her leadership. Here’s what we have achieved together since Sara commenced in early 2020.

We increased our impact

Feeding Families – 77 million meals created for Queenslanders in need
Saving Food – 39 million kgs of food saved from landfill
Saving Water – 2,600 Olympic swimming pools of water conserved
Saving the Planet – 780,000 petrol tanks worth of emission saved

Metrics from February 2020 to February 2023

We set a new strategic direction

In the last three years, Sara Harrup has worked with the Foodbank Queensland team and the Board to implement many large projects with very disciplined strategy execution. A strategic goal was set to create a sustainable, nutritious, and dignified food and safety net for Queenslanders in need.

Foodbank Queensland Chair Mike Hill said Sara Harrup has successfully transformed Foodbank Queensland’s operations to be even more efficient and effective and is leaving the organisation in a wonderful place with a five-year strategy underway.

If we reflect on what Foodbank Queensland was like when Sara Harrup arrived and where it is today, Sara’s achievements have been immense and the legacy profound. Sara has guided Foodbank Queensland through considerable change and challenged the status quo, which has required the patience and support of our employees, volunteers, food donors and Member Charities. Sara leaves a proud record knowing that Foodbank Queensland today is a much more capable organisation ready to meet the rising demand for our services, to respond to emergency weather events, and to also prepare us for the implementation of many more necessary projects on the horizon. – Mike Hill, Chair

Forming a strong team to lead Foodbank forward

Sara Harrup built a strong Senior Leadership Team and broader Foodbank team, engaging with experts in their fields and making hard decisions to help us achieve our vision of a Queensland without hunger. The team have brought incredible collective knowledge to the organisation and have really pushed Foodbank Queensland into very contemporary ways of working. Foodbank Queensland Head of People and Culture Jill Mee said Sara Harrup has led and coached the Senior Leadership Team to achieve the extraordinary.

Sara Harrup draws on the expertise around her to achieve and go beyond the strategic goals set. She makes you better at your job, and personally invests in every person; she pushes, challenges, is always curious and celebrates when we achieve what we set out to . Often what comes out of our achievements is another set of goals because of her drive for continuous improvement. Sara operates from a place of deep empathy, authenticity, and kindness, with an overlay of fairness, justice, and accountability. Sara has transformed Foodbank Queensland in three years, and she has done that by enabling everyone to perform at their very best. – Jill Mee, Head of People and Culture

We welcomed new volunteers

Since early 2020, we have welcomed hundreds of incredible volunteers, building a strong, aligned volunteer team who have contributed significantly to the work of Foodbank Queensland. “Choosing to volunteer for Foodbank Queensland was one of the best decisions I’ve made. The people are lovely, the work is interesting, and it is a great cause. I found it so rewarding that I recently encouraged my husband to consider volunteering as well.” – Louise, Volunteer. “The overwhelming positives that I feel from volunteering at Foodbank are the gratitude and respect that are afforded to all the volunteers. This culture is demonstrated by all levels of management and is obvious to all workers, volunteers and clients.” – Margaret, Volunteer

Sara has a strong track record of championing volunteering and a deep understanding of the value volunteers bring to an organisation and its culture. Over the last three years as CEO, Sara spearheaded systematic transformation of the volunteer program to align with the values and principles defined in the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement. Under her stewardship, we saw a robust, resilient, integrated, inclusive and values-led volunteer program emerge to support Foodbank Queensland through the ups and downs of COVID-19, the 2022 floods and planned organisational transformation. – Ryan Wright, Strategy and Innovation Lead

We embarked on a digital transformation

Under Sara Harrup’s leadership, Foodbank Queensland has gone from a paper based, person led organisation, to one that has solid processes, information sharing and consistency. The implementation of workforce management software and business management software, as well as the rebuild of our customer relationship management software has created incredible efficiencies at Foodbank Queensland.

The recent implementation of an online ordering system at Foodbank Queensland has transformed the way we work. Our receivals, dispatch and storage processes have all been digitalised with each food delivery being completed via a radio frequency (RF) scanner. At our Food Distribution Centre, food pallets are now tracked, food pallet bays are location controlled, and we have RF scanners telling our forklift drivers where to go to find and place food items. This has streamlined our processes, enabling us to distribute more food to those in need. – Nathan Gregory, Operations Manager

We became a culturally safety centric organisation

Sara Harrup has led Foodbank Queensland’s Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) system into a place where we are now at an incredibly high standard consistent with The International Organisation of Standards (ISO). Foodbank Queensland Chief Operating Officer Saul Martinez said Foodbank has developed a robust program for the care and wellbeing of all workplace participants.

Sara’s uncompromised commitment to offering all staff, volunteers and visitors a safe workplace has resulted in the establishment of a comprehensive suite of integrated policies, procedures, training programs, and whole of organisation discussion forums. This is demonstrated when as part of day-to-day activities, stakeholders actively participate and raise concerns with the confidence that they will be heard and their feedback valued. On multiple occasions, third party auditors and government officials have recognised and commended the high standards of our system and our proactiveness and disposition for continuous improvement. Sara’s leadership has been central to these achievements. – Saul Martinez, Chief Operating Officer

We built new relationships – Thank you to our partners!

Thank you to all our incredible supporters for your continued generosity. In the last three years we have built so many strong partnerships, supporting multilevel relationships with partners including government, corporate partners, philanthropists and people who provide probono support. Each and every partnership has been vital in helping us get more food out the door to Queenslanders who need it most. MinterEllison is one of our partners who has helped Foodbank Queensland evolve:

It has been energising for us to work alongside Sara Harrup and the team at Foodbank Queensland over the last three years of transformation for the organisation, providing our people with the opportunity to use their legal and technology skills to assist Foodbank Queensland in its journey, even in the face of challenges brought about by floods and the pandemic. We are very grateful that Sara introduced us to Foodbank Queensland and so ably developed and led our partnership – one that is now firmly embedded with us. – Robert Reed OAM, MinterEllison

And thank you to our Member Charities!

Foodbank’s Member Charities play a vital role in the fight against hunger in our state. That’s why they have been at the heart of every decision we have made to ensure we help even more Queenslanders facing hardship. Foodbank Queensland Member Engagement Manager Therese O’Conner said we couldn’t support so many people in need without our wonderful community of Member Charities.

In the last few years, we have grown to service 350 frontline charities and 300 schools across the state, providing essential food and groceries to support their critical food relief programs. It’s our Member Charities’ tireless work that motivates us, informs us and keeps us striving to be better. Working together, we can give food and hope to thousands of struggling Queenslanders every week. – Therese O’Connor, Member Engagement Manager

How your flood donation has helped – 1 year on!

The 2022 Queensland floods were some of the worst floods Queensland has seen in modern times – leaving thousands in our community displaced, without electricity and without food or water.

A year ago, we asked for your help with a simple proposition: to get as much food and fresh drinking water as possible to those in need, and you answered the call. Thank you for being there for your community in such a time of need.

Thanks to your generosity, in the last 12 months, enough food was distributed for over 412,000 meals to flood affected communities seeking help. Thank you for the vital role you played in this remarkable feat. Knowing where their next meal is coming from can have such an impact on those dealing with the lasting effects of the floods.

At the time of the floods, we shared stories from some of Foodbank Queensland’s incredible Member Charities, including Victory Church Care Services. You may remember the devastating images of their food relief facility in disarray, where fresh produce was lining the ceiling after flood waters filled the entire building.

Victory Care Services Manager Ray Hill relayed how your support helped, and continues to help, the Gympie community:

“Our Victory Care Service in Gympie, which provides food for 120 families every week, went under water in the biggest flood in 120 years. Like many families in the town, we lost everything except our building. The community rallied around us and after a couple of months and a lot of hard work and donations, we were up and running again. Our Victory Care Service was missed and was welcomed back by a grateful community. We thank the community for their support and also Foodbank for their generosity with the supply of food donations, contributing to our ongoing service in the community. I thank all involved.”

This is just one of the hundreds of stories from communities you’ve helped by standing by them during their time of need.

By pitching in and donating to get food to where it was needed most, you gave hope to communities who had lost everything. While the floods can cause devastation in only minutes, hours and days, the road to recovery can take years, with many families still rebuilding what they lost. That’s why, with your support, Foodbank Queensland continues to work hard to support these impacted communities.

Foodbank Queensland is putting your donations to work every day, serving the community now and preparing for a more sustainable future. We truly couldn’t feed so many Queenslanders in need without you.

If you are in a position to help Foodbank Queensland on an ongoing basis to provide more food across the state to support Queenslanders in need, please consider joining the fight against hunger as a regular giver.