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.

The Kids Shake partners with Foodbank

May 2020, The Kids Shake has partnered with Australia’s largest food relief organisation, Foodbank, to help feed kids in need.

From today, $1 from every Kids Breakfast Shake sold will be donated to Foodbank to ensure they can continue their important work in feeding Australia’s most vulnerable kids.

To launch the partnership with Foodbank, Belinda MacDougall, founder and CEO of The Happy Healthy Co (which includes flagship brands The Lady Shake and The Man Shake), is also making an upfront donation of $10,000, which equates to providing 20,000 meals to those in need at this difficult time.

As a self-made businesswoman and mother to two young daughters, Belinda is truly humbled to see this partnership come to life.

“This partnership is so important to me and The Kids Shake team because the thought of a child going without food, especially breakfast, is heart breaking. To help kick off our partnership, we have donated 20,000 meals to help Foodbank feed those doing it tough right now,” said Belinda.

According to Foodbank, children under the age of 15 who live in food insecure households often go without fresh food and may even go without some meals completely. More than 1 in 5 children in Australia (22%) experienced food insecurity in 2018*. Of these children, 18% have gone to school without any breakfast at least once a week and 9% of food insecure children go a whole day without eating at all at least once a week.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, said, “As a mother of two boys, I know how important a good nutritious diet is. I know without breakfast before a school day, children can get ‘hangry’, they lack concentration, and they get agitated. We know from our Foodbank Rumbling Tummies report in 2018 that children’s wellbeing improves significantly when their family receives food relief, they are happier, have more energy and their behaviour improves.”

The Kids Shake was created by Belinda because the lack of healthy breakfast shake options for children. Any parent would empathise on how difficult it is to get a healthy nutritious breakfast into your kids every day.

“Our business is passionate about producing nutritious food to help children live their lives to the fullest. Our products are more than just meals, they include essential vitamins and minerals for growing, healthy, happy kids,” said Belinda.

The Kids Shake is a healthy breakfast alternative full of vitamins, nutrients and protein to help growing kids. Unlike many other products in the market The Kids Shake is low in sugar and has less than 3.2 g/ serving.

*Foodbank, Rumbling Tummies: Child Hunger in Australia, 2018