St Vincent de Paul Society, Bairnsdale

St Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) Bairnsdale is just one of 9 Foodbank charity partners who provide emergency food relief and support to the wider East Gippsland community.

Albert, former regional president, has been involved with the organisation for close to 15 years. Albert’s current role is to oversee the food relief program. Available each weekday, those in need can access a food parcel including a range of staple items catering to the size of the family.

The organisation also gives careful consideration to a full range of requests and helps connect community members to other services they may need. During February and March, they were assisting 70-90 individuals each week.

Like many charity organisations in the Gippsland region, the recent bushfire crisis was a significant time for SVDP Bairnsdale.

From 30 December 2019, the team at SVDP Bairnsdale had set up at the evacuation centre: “And it was full-on, right from the get-go. It was hugely busy. It was chaotic in many ways, and we were all working in one space alongside a lot of the other helping agencies,” recalls Albert.

Albert says the social element of providing food relief has always been valuable but was vital during the bushfires.

“People who came in were in shock, sharing photos and telling tales of what they had lost. It was a little bit overwhelming the number of people who had suffered. Tears well up in your own eyes listening to some of these stories,” said Albert.

Due to the current health pandemic, the team has once again adapted, and to adhere to social distancing requirements they are conducting phone interviews and providing vouchers for food relief. As restrictions ease, and the situation improves, Albert envisages their services will be called upon more frequently.

Operating out of a small shopfront for the last four years, the team are looking at moving to a larger premise. With the on-going drought, the recent bushfires, and the current economic impact of coronavirus, the demand is increasing, and a more spacious location will allow the organisation to continue to respond to the growing need.

Meet our Charity Partners

Creamy Valley Produce

Meet Roy Beaumont, owner of Creamy Valley Produce in East Gippsland. Roy, and his wife, Alison Beaumont, have been running the Potato farm for many years and regularly donate excess produce to Foodbank.

Meet our Farmers & Growers

Vinnies Soup Van, Footscray

The St Vincent de Paul Vinnies Soup Van Program has been providing Victorians with food, social connection, and referral pathways out of homelessness and poverty for many years. But during the covid pandemic, the team at Footscray were forced to readjust their offering – they’ve been delivering more than 550 food hampers to local community members each and every week.

Meet our Charity Partners

The Food Store @ ECHO

Based in Cockatoo in Melbourne’s East, The Food Store offers a safe space for community members to interact and take home free basic food supplies, fruit and vegetables.

Meet our Charity Partners

Where does Foodbank food go?

By working with more than 450 charity organisations across Victoria – from large organisations like Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul, through to smaller neighbourhood houses and community centres – we’re able to provide 1.5 million meals to Victorians in need, every month.

We recently paid a visit to some of the wonderful people receiving this food relief – like Fay, who was unable to find work following a cancer diagnosis; pensioner Ray, who struggles to get to the supermarket; and Barry and Fay, who simply can’t afford groceries.

Meet our Charity Partners

Foothills Community Care

Located in Upwey, just east of Melbourne, Foothills Community Care have been preparing home-cooked meals – using food from Foodbank – for vulnerable people in Upwey area.

Meet our charity partners

Helping Victorians Get Back To Work

Almost 1,300 people who were looking for a job due to the coronavirus crisis are now working for Victoria thanks to the Victorian Government.

Premier Daniel Andrews joined Minister for Jobs Martin Pakula On Wednesday 8 April to announce the first raft of positions secured through the Working for Victoria Fund – with thousands more to benefit in the coming weeks and months.

More than 60 people have taken up new roles here at Foodbank Victoria, in various roles in our warehouse. These new recruits will play a vital role in helping us to prepare care packages and charity food orders for Victorians in need of food relief.

Emma, who is one of the new recruits employed as part of the Working for Victoria Fund, has recently joined our team as Warehouse Supervisor. Previously working within the furniture wholesale industry, Emma recently lost her job as a result of the coronavirus restrictions. Eager to keep herself busy, Emma contacted us about potential volunteering opportunities. Emma’s wealth of experience in supply and inventory management was a natural fit for Foodbank. When asked how she feels about her new role at Foodbank, she replied,

“It’s great to be using this time in an important role rather than waiting for the economy to pick back up again. I’m lucky to have been given this opportunity as so many people have sadly been impacted.”

“I’ve just started in a warehouse supervisor role, looking after operations for food relief hampers for our charity partners, as well as care packages for people in mandatory self-isolation. I’ll also be working closely with volunteers who come in to assist packing and sorting donated food for distribution. I might also help with inventory and stock if it’s needed down the track.”

The Working for Victoria Fund is open to workers who have recently lost their job or casuals who no longer have shifts – including international students and temporary migrants. Relocation, accommodation and transport subsides are available to eligible participants. Businesses and workers can register at vic.gov.au/workingforvictoria.

If you are interested in permanent roles at Foodbank Victoira, please visit our Careers page to view a list of current vacancies.

Leave no one behind

Vulnerable students and migrants from Nepal living in Australia have felt the full social and economic impacts of COVID-19. With fewer resources to support themselves during the crisis, many Nepalese students experienced the anguished fear of not knowing where their next meal was coming from, until Foodbank became part of their world.

 

Amit Thapa, Founder of the Friends of Nepal Association, reached out to Foodbank, and along with the Non Resident Nepali Association, more than 1,000 Nepalese students in Australia were assisted with food relief, including hundreds of Foodbank hampers. Funds provided by the Federal Department of Social Services enabled Foodbank to fill the hampers with quality key staples such as instant noodles, breakfast cereal, UHT soy milk, fruit cups, tea and coffee, tinned tuna and beans, and savoury and sweet biscuits. Hampers were topped with five kilograms of rice, ensuring it would feed a person for four weeks. Packaged with love and dignity, the hampers were distributed throughout the Nepali student community across Australia, providing much-needed relief at a time when they needed it most.

PepsiCo pledges $480,000 to Foodbank Australia as part of a global initiative

April 2020, PepsiCo Australia has donated AUD$480,000 to Foodbank Australia to help combat the devastating effects of COVID-19. Globally, PepsiCo has recognised the need for meals and vital resources during this time and has pledged AUD$72 million to help those most affected by the virus.

 

On average, nearly one in five Australians face food insecurity each year. Due to the COVID-19 crisis Foodbank Australia has experienced a 50 per cent increase in the number of people needing support over the past month.

 

PepsiCo is proud to be donating AUD$480,000 to Foodbank Australia, one of the country’s largest food relief organisations, to ensure it has adequate food resources to meet the upsurge in demand, while continuing to provide nutritious meals for those who need it most. The funding will help individuals and families now and in the coming months as we see the effects of Coronavirus.

 

“We’ve seen a sudden and significant increase in the need for our services due to the impacts of COVID-19. We’ve gone from 815,000 people per month in a ‘normal’ period to over 1.2m, a frightening statistic,” says, Brianna Casey, CEO at Foodbank Australia.

“Foodbank needs to scale up urgently to respond to the unprecedented increase in the number of food insecure Australians and help them for as long as they may need it. We are incredibly grateful to our long-standing partner, PepsiCo, for the generous donation that will help us meet this growing demand and enable us to provide almost one million nutritious meals to individuals and families in-need across the country.”

 

“Food is at the heart of what PepsiCo does, and we are great admirers of the amazing work Foodbank Australia and the New Zealand Salvation Army Foodbank do within their local communities,” says, PepsiCo ANZ, CEO, Danny Celoni.

 

“We also acknowledge the unprecedented demand drought, bushfires and now COVID-19 have placed on Australian food relief organisations this year. I am proud and grateful to be in a position where we can support them during this difficult time by helping our partners bring food to those who need it most.”

 

McCain chips in and reminds us ‘we’re in this together’

April 2020, McCain Foods announced today it will donate at least 250,000 meals to food relief organisations across Australia and New Zealand over the coming months to help support communities facing food security challenges during the COVID-19 crisis.

The contribution is part of McCain’s ongoing commitment to food relief organisations, its passion for giving back to the communities that have built the business for over 50 years, and the company’s core values.  As unemployment rates across ANZ continue to increase to unprecedent highs, families are now reaching out for support – putting pressure on charities that deliver food to families in need.

The donation will be shared between charities across Australia and New Zealand including its long standing partner Foodbank Australia, but also Fareshare Victoria, Second Bite Australia, Empower Australia, 0800 Hungry and Oxford Community Trust.

McCain Foods Regional President, Louis Wolthers, said that the spike in retail demand for frozen food would be reflected in the charitable sector.

“People have been stocking up with frozen foods in preparation for lockdown, and food relief organisations are no different, in that they also need a stable supply of frozen vegetables and meals as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic escalate,” Mr.Wolthers said.

“Given the scale of the need, we’re very pleased to have the opportunity to support these reputable charities, which provide such important support to our local communities.

“Our donation includes frozen vegetables, meals, chips, pizza and some Sara Lee desserts – accounting for more than meals. This certainly makes sense for us, and it’s something our people are proud of. McCain is hoping this donation will help to remind Australians and New Zealanders of the importance of staying connected. We’re in this together, after all,” Mr. Wolthers said.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey said the donation will be well received amongst the many Australians it is supporting currently.

“We are so grateful for this incredibly generous donation of frozen food from McCain, one of our long- standing national donors who have supported us regularly through thick and thin. Foodbank has seen a 50 percent increase in demand for food and grocery relief due to job loss and small business closures across the country and donations such as these are critical to help vulnerable Australians now and for as long as it takes for our country to recover from the effects of COVID-19.”

The donations form part of a global response from McCain to the COVID-19 pandemic this year.