Beiersdorf announces official partnership with Foodbank Australia

Following over hundreds of thousands of product donations, Beiersdorf pledges additional support to Victoria during the current lockdown
31st August 2020

Clynton Bartholomeusz, Managing Director of Beiersdorf Australia (left), and Brianna Casey, CEO of Foodbank Australia (right), launching the partnership at Foodbank NSW & ACT

Today Beiersdorf Australia – manufacturer of NIVEA and Elastoplast products – has announced its official partnership with Foodbank Australia, the country’s largest food and grocery relief organisation.

In 2020, Beiersdorf Australia has donated hundreds of thousands of products to Foodbank Australia, locally driving its ‘Care Beyond Skin’ program. Their most recent donation, just this month, is of over 50,000 personal care items, including hand sanitisers which will be distributed to those in need in Victoria.

Clynton Bartholomeusz, Managing Director of Beiersdorf Australia said, “For nearly 140 years, we at Beiersdorf have had ‘care’ at the heart of everything we do. Our purpose, Care Beyond Skin, not only expresses our passion for skincare, but it embodies our commitment to also caring for people and communities in need. That is why we are so pleased to become an official national donor with Foodbank Australia and support the important work they do.”

This is not the first time Beiersdorf and Foodbank have joined forces. During this year’s bushfire crisis, Beiersdorf donated thousands of products including Elastoplast essentials and NIVEA sun care.

Brianna Casey, CEO of Foodbank Australia said, “We are incredibly grateful for Beiersdorf’s continual support and generous donations of skin and personal care products, and are delighted to be welcoming them as an official national donor.”

“Thank you to everyone at Beiersdorf for your ongoing commitment to Foodbank Australia which enables us to support Australians doing it tough not only now but for the long term.”

Globally, Beiersdorf has pledged 50 million Euros as an immediate international support program to help communities in their fight against COVID-19 pandemic. It will team up with international organisations as well as local authorities to bring the support to the people in need. The global immediate measures are:

  • Donation of 1,000,000 litres of disinfectant
  • Donation of at least 5,000,000 NIVEA skin and hand care products to medical staff all around the world
  • Direct financial support for NGOs, both international organisations as well as local partners of the Beiersdorf Group
  • Beiersdorf commits to double any employees’ personal donations

Unique partnership takes insecurity out of the ‘surprise’ chain

11th August 2020

Foodbank Australia’s ongoing partnership with General Mills Australia is rethinking how companies can contribute and take some of the insecurity out of the food donation ‘surprise’ supply chain.

In a model that is unique to Foodbank Australia, General Mills’ Rooty Hill plant in Western Sydney will produce on average 10,000 dedicated meals of Latina ™ Fresh ricotta and spinach agnolotti each month, for the next year, for people in need.

Foodbank Australia Chief Executive Officer, Brianna Casey, said with the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 being felt right across the country, the value of this new partnership is immeasurable.

“With one in five Australians already having faced food insecurity at some point last year, widespread unemployment and an economic recession have hit hard and fast for families everywhere. People are doing it tough right now and it’s partnerships like this Collaborative Supply Program that enable us to plan ahead and make every dollar go further.”

“General Mills are taking the proactive step to guarantee access to delicious, nutritious pasta for Australians who are struggling to put food on the table right now and for the year ahead, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” said Ms Casey.

Foodbank Australia’s General Manager – National Supply Chain, Michael Davidson, added, “This model allows us to move beyond important, but unpredictable products diverted from
landfill to a constant supply of basic essentials like this premium pasta product from General Mills.”

“We’ve seen this model operate to great success with other pantry staples and are excited to see this further extension of our partnership with General Mills come to life.”

“As a world-leader in this field, and the only foodbank globally to be driving a collaborative supply program with food and grocery industry partners, this really sets the standard for other manufacturers and foodbank organisations. It will have a tremendous impact on ensuring we can provide to those in need,” said Mr Davidson.

The program is a collaboration between Foodbank Australia, General Mills and its supply chain. While General Mills donates the time and labour to make the product, suppliers have generously donated the raw ingredients and packaging to dramatically reduce the cost.

Ferraro Dairy Foods, based in Tullamarine, is supplying the ricotta for the pasta filling. Ferraro Dairy Foods General Manager Brad Ferraro said it was important to help Foodbank during this difficult time.

“At Ferraro Dairy, we are always prepared to help families and people in whatever way we can. That’s why it’s great to be involved with this initiative and support people who are hurting in multiple ways.” said Mr Ferraro.

General Mills Australia Managing Director Peter Everett has called on industry peers to engage in similar partnerships to ensure a bigger impact on the community.

“We’ve created a template which people and companies can follow using resources and networks they already have to make an even greater difference,” Mr Everett said.

“It’s taken a huge effort from our staff putting this together and while it’s tough for our suppliers to make this donation due to COVID-19, we think it’s the perfect time to make that difference and be a force for good given the impact it will achieve at this critical time.”

“The chosen product, chilled, premium Latina™ Fresh Ricotta and Spinach Agnolotti, takes all of a family’s needs into consideration, being a great source of protein and quick and easy to make for a family meal,” said Mr Everett.

In addition to product donation, General Mills, through its Foundation, provided Foodbank Australia with a charitable grant of over AU$200,000 (US$ 150,000) to help Foodbank respond to the significant increase in community need for food staples due to the pandemic.

With COVID-19 causing new demographic groups to access food relief for the first time, it’s more important than ever to support the community.

 

A thank you from our Food Team

It’s with the support of our food and grocery donors that we’re able to continue helping to feed Victorians in need. As we wrap up the financial year, we want to say – thank you!

Daylesford Good Grub Club

The quaint community of Daylesford has seen a huge increase in the number of people unable to afford or access food. To help make things a little easier for those going through tough times, the wonderful team at Good Grub Club have been delivering food hampers, and providing fresh cooked meals to struggling community members in the Hepburn Shire.

Meet our Charity Partners

A Message from Greg Pattinson, CEO, Foodbank SA

The last 6 months have clearly demonstrated the essential role of Foodbank SA in the community. Firstly with the bushfires, Foodbank was one of the first agencies activated by the State Government to provide support to affected communities. To this day, we still send our Mobile Food Hub to Lobethal twice per week to support the victims of the Hills fires. However since the outbreak of COVID-19, this service is now available for other families in the area who need food assistance.

Immediately following the bushfires, we saw the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many thousands of people lost their jobs overnight, many of whom had never been in such a position. At the same time, many traditional welfare agencies and charities closed their doors either due to a lack of volunteers or to eliminate any risk of the spread of the virus. With more people needing help but fewer outlets to get food, all of us at Foodbank set ourselves the objective that we would not close, but would continue to provide the safety net for the people of SA.

To achieve this objective, many changes were necessary to our previously normal way of doing things. I would like to thank all of our staff and volunteers who not only worked with the management team to make sure all of our sites were safe, but who also continued to provide a welcoming environment for all of the new people accessing our services.

Even with all of these challenges, we are still driving new projects. We have just launched our second Mobile Food Hub, sponsored by the RAA, and based at our Riverland branch, which will be used to fill some of the gaps for food relief in country areas of SA. Then in September we will be opening the doors of our latest Food Hub, this time in Murray Bridge. This opening will be supported by local Rotary & Lions clubs and has attracted a lot of local interest in what we believe is a region that needs this service.

With all of this happening, I have never been prouder to be associated with Foodbank!

Greg Pattinson
CEO, Foodbank SA

 

 

PAFC provide contactless food relief delivery for Foodbank SA

Due to COVID-19, this year Foodbank SA needed to adapt to the changing face of hunger. Not only did the number of people requiring food relief service grow exponentially, but due to isolation and restrictions we were also faced with the inability to get food to those who needed it the most.  Foodbank had to adapt our traditional models of food relief support to include a Home Hamper Delivery Program.

We were lucky that the Port Adelaide Football players and staff were able to lend a hand with a Foodbank contactless delivery service.

We were super impressed with the genuine willingness to offer support during this time, with even KT, Dave Hutton and the GOAT, Russell Ebert making weekly deliveries for the last few months.

On behalf of Foodbank SA and those we support every day, thank you PAFC!

A Word from Gerry

Thank you. Your unwavering support through the most challenging time in Foodbank’s history has eased the pain and distress of countless hungry Australians. There are no words that can truly express my gratitude.

Foodbank has supported Australians in need through the generous support of people like you.

The sheer scale of the COVID-19 crisis has been heart-wrenching, and Foodbank will be relied upon to assist families in putting food on the table for years while they recover.

Not so long ago, hunger was a hidden crisis, affecting 1 in 5 Australians. Today, as we emerge from the bushfires and COVID-19, this statistic is now 2 in 5 people.

That’s 50% more families living day to day, skipping meals. Feeling daily stress, grief and guilt as their children go to school with rumbling tummies and empty lunch boxes.

I am mindful that this crisis has affected many of our supporters personally. If you are struggling to put meals on the table, please reach out to us.

The overwhelming generosity of the community assisted us to source food and employ emergency labour to create and deliver 9,800 hampers, a simply extraordinary number of food relief parcels.

Your support of Foodbank has brought hope to families like Kylie’s – a family already doing it tough, but hit so hard by our recent crisis that she was constantly in tears as she could not feed her children.

“This food will help our family 1000% for the next few weeks. It means we will be able to get by and we’re not going to be struggling,” said Kylie.

Your kind heart has ensured people like Jay, who lost her job in the beauty industry, had food to put on the table. Jay’s story is of an overnight transformation. She was privately renting with no money worries, and then suddenly had no income, no money – having to live with friends or in emergency accommodation.

Jay’s story is sadly one that has been played out around the country right now. People who never imagined they would ever have to come to Foodbank for help, suddenly thrown into a desperate situation.

It’s a story that Charity Partners like Mama Lana’s and Hawkesbury Helping Hands see every day. Linda Strickland, Founder of Hawkesbury Helping Hands, says “most of the stories are heartbreaking and many days I can hardly hold it together… but we need to get the food out, and we need to get it out very, very quickly because people are starving in our community.”

Right across Australia, so many people are struggling. Often these are people who have been victims of devastation just as they were trying to help others – people like Phillip, one of the firemen on the front line in the community of Kiah, trying to save homes in the bushfire crisis. Phillip lost his own home, and only just escaped with his life.

“We need help here,” says Phillip. “Recovery is going to take a long time. We need to let people know we still need assistance here. It’s going to take years to rebuild.”

As COVID-19 restrictions ease further and we adapt to our new normal, I am witnessing the return of hope – for new jobs, a boost to our economy and re-connection. But for some, there is little hope right now. Your gift will support Australians who have lost homes, jobs and their loved ones to get back on their feet.

On behalf of the many thousands of Australians who are going hungry right now, I’d like to say a very special thank you for your ongoing support. Every dollar you give makes a difference.

Donate Now

Boroondara Community Outreach

Based in Kew in Melbourne’s east, Boroondara Community Outreach offer food relief, support and services for disadvantaged members of the Borondoora community. During COVID-19, the team have been making hundreds of take away meals each week, and delivering these direct to the community along with emergency relief products such as non perishable groceries and toiletries.

Meet our Charity Partners

YOUR KINDNESS IS SUPPORTING THE BUSHFIRE RECOVERY

 

On behalf of the community of Kiah – and so many other communities across NSW and ACT – thank you for your wonderful support throughout the bushfire crisis earlier this year.

Phillip Novak was one of the RFS fire fighters on the front line in the NSW South Coast town of Kiah, trying to save homes and lives. Like far too many Australians caught up in this summer’s devasting fires Phillip lost his own home, and only just escaped with his life.

“In just half a minute, the structures I was protecting were enveloped in flames. It was a tempest of just unimaginable proportions,” said Phillip.

Bushfire recovery

The day after the fire took his home, Phillip had help from Foodbank. “It was just chaos. Smoke was still in the air and we were just reaching out to get basic assistance. The food pantry at Merimbula was the first place that helped us,” he said.

As you would expect the road to recovery for these communities will be long. Communities just like Kiah are reliant on continuing food relief and families like Phillip’s still benefit from your kindness. In March alone, 473,000 kilos of food and groceries were delivered to bushfire affected areas.

As Phillip explains, “We’re all having difficulty with just day to day living – we’ve lost the things that make a home.

“Simple things like receiving food is an important part of rebuilding our lives.”

THANK YOU FOR HELPING FEED KYLIE’S FAMILY

“When you’re fighting between paying rent or buying food, you don’t know what to do.”

When we last wrote to you, Kylie and her young children, like so many thousands of other Australian families, had reached breaking point.

Thanks to your generous support, Foodbank has stepped in to relieve their distress and hunger.

Without you, Kylie and her kids would have gone hungry.

For Kylie, not being able to feed her own children was heart-breaking. “You have to send your kids to school with food. You can’t send them with nothing.

“A neighbour told me about the Foodbank charity partner pantry. They were the most welcoming bunch of ladies, able to help us when we needed it.

“I was blown away with the generosity, and what we’ve received with everyone’s help.

“To go home with this food… it means I don’t have to sit and cry about not having any money or food. We can now eat – and that’s the most important thing to me, for my kids.”

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