FareShare kitchen construction well underway.

Foodbank CEO, Michael Rose, recently caught up with Kellie Watson GM for FareShare Queensland on site to discuss progress in relation to the Brisbane kitchen, a collaboration between Foodbank and FareShare.

“The site has been a hive of activity, hard hats and hi-vis as we affix air conditioning and plant equipment that we are re-using to the rafters, cut drainage into the slab and build columns to support our solar system. Electricians, plumbers and concreters are on site working alongside refrigeration technicians and structural engineers. It’s a tricky process and FareShare are glad to have Wiley and Co on board to drive and oversee the construction,” said Kellie.

All of the kitchen’s equipment has arrived in Australia. FareShare has ordered the specialist, high-volume equipment from Finland, Germany, Italy, England and Sydney which includes two customised 300 litre mixing kettles. These giant electric pots will enable FareShare to efficiently create nutritious, balanced meals from surplus food rescued from Foodbank’s generous food donors.

“The menu will change every day depending on available ingredients. In the morning we could be cooking chicken tikka curry with vegetables and in the afternoon cottage pie with sweet potato mash. A pump fill station will pump meals in portion sizes from the mixing kettles into vacuum bags for distribution to people in need,” said Kellie.

“We are working closely with Foodbank to develop supply and logistics plans and if initial discussions are anything to go by, we will need recipes that utilise sweet potatoes, tomatoes and chicken to start with!” said Kellie.

Michael Rose, Foodbank CEO said,“Foodbank is really excited to be working with FareShare in Queensland and look forward to getting the first of a planned one million meals cooked to distribute to those in need.”

For Foodbank, the kitchen provides the ability to deal with large and perishable food donations in a short time frame. All meals will be frozen making them cost-effective to transport, even to regional locations throughout the state, and simple for end users to store and consume.

This initiative requires additional funding to ensure a regular supply of food. If you would like to donate to help provide healthy and nutritious meals for vulnerable families, please donate here. For more information, or if you would like to support the ongoing efforts please contact our friendly staff.

Foodbank Queensland’s donors were celebrated in an evening to say thank you for their generosity inside the walls of the stunning Government House.

The beautiful heritage listed residence known as Government House, built in 1865 is the current home of our patron, Governor of Queensland, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, and Mrs Kaye de Jersey.

The evening opened with a moving speech from the Governor, welcoming guests and acknowledging their contributions to helping Australians in need.

This is not the first time Foodbank has been welcome into the official residence of His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey. Back in June 2015, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey very kindly hosted another such event, providing morning tea to Foodbank supporters.

Amazingly the Governor is patron to over 150 charities and Mrs de Jersey is a patron of 6 herself, with strong interest in helping children eat well and stay in school.

It honours and humbles Foodbank to be in such esteemed company and to hear our supporters congratulated on their commitment to ending hunger.

Special mentions on the night went out to our newest Ambassador, television presenter, Natalie Gruzlewski and Foodbank Friend, Michael Powell, who is swimming the English Channel in August to raise funds for Foodbank’s School Breakfast Program.

Also making an appearance were our very generous supporters from the Clem Jones Group. Since Foodbank’s beginnings in Fortitude Valley of 1995, the operation has gone forward in leaps and bounds only with the help of supporters like the Clem Jones Group. Dr Clem Jones AO, longest serving Lord Mayor of Brisbane, was a founding director of Foodbank Queensland.

Foodbank owes much of its success to many more donors who cannot be thanked enough. Our funders especially, the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services.

Domestic and Family Violence prevention month.

The month of May is Queensland’s Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, coinciding with the United Nation’s International Day of Families on 15 May.

The month hopes to bring to light the issue of family violence, ensuring that every one of us says no to violent and abusive behaviour.

Unfortunately, Queensland has become known as a state of violence with a number of cases of intimate partner violence in recent years.

Fortunately, Queensland leaders have acknowledged the need to reduce violence. The Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland was established to uncover ways to prevent violence and bolster existing community services for improved victim support. You can read their findings here.

Women and children are not only affected by violence in the home: animals are included in those harmed and re-homed with community support.

According to the Domestic Violence Prevention Centre, research from VicHealth shows that, “intimate partner violence contributes to more death, disability and illness in women aged 15 to 44 than any other preventable risk factor.” This makes standing up to violence in the home, at work and in all public spaces all the more important.

A segment of ABC’s 7:30 Report aired on 21 March 2017 tells the empowering story of a domestic violence victim who started her own charity with the help of Foodbank. You can read more about her story here.

Foodbank wholeheartedly supports the many women’s violence refuges and home relocation services that access our warehouse each week – we are proud to be associated with the important work these refuges offer their clients. We hope that our support now will mean more people are helped today with a reduced need in the future.

To find out more about support services near you, please contact the Domestic Violence hotline on 1800 811 811 (QLD) or the 1800 RESPECT National help line on 1800 737 732. Available 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Fifteen brands will donate 1 million items in Australia’s biggest annual food donation campaign.

Australia’s top food brands – Ardmona, Devondale, John West, Chicken Tonight, Old El Paso, Vetta, McCain Foods Australia, Helga’s, SunRice, SPC, Primo, Mount Franklin, Continental, Sanitarium and Woolworths – have signed up to support the annual Foodbank campaign, with consumers triggering a one-for-one donation each time they purchase participating brand products at Woolworths stores during July.

Now in its third year, the campaign has been re-named ‘Shop & Share’ and includes an even larger range of products, covering most staple categories throughout the store, helping to raise vital food for people in need. Woolworths has signed on as the exclusive retail partner for the project which last year raised 13 million meals for Australians in need.

At some point each year two million Australians are in crisis, not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Foodbank is the largest food relief organisation in Australia, providing food for over 172,000 meals a day to assist these vulnerable people, a third of
whom are children.

Foodbank Australia’s CEO Brianna Casey, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from the brands participating in the campaign. They are already generous supporters of Foodbank and by taking part in ‘Shop & Share’ we are able to ask consumers to support the brands that support us”.

“The campaign provides us with an opportunity to remind Australians about the ongoing issue of hunger which affects so many families, individuals and children, at the same time we’re securing additional food to assist them,” she continued.

Woolworths is the retail partner of the campaign, supporting with “Shop & Share” messaging on shelf and online, in-store radio, Fresh magazine editorial and support through Woolworths Rewards eDM’s. Woolworths product will also be part of the program.

Advertising agency incumbent Havas Worldwide is supporting the campaign with above the line television, print, radio and OOH creative while, GroupM is playing a key role securing significant support in the form of television and radio air time as well as outdoor and print placements.

Whisk Media Group will once again manage the content creation for the project, creating new recipe inspirations and cooking videos using a collaboration of ingredients from the participating brands. The content is designed to encourage consumers to purchase more
of the products during their weekly shop. The agency will also supply bespoke materials for each of the brand partners to amplify the campaign across their own channels including on websites, direct subscriber communications and social media.

Foodbank friend, Michael Powell, swims the English Channel in a bid to raise $20,000 for Foodbank QLD.

32 kilometres, 7 hours, 14 degrees Celsius … it doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Only 32 kilometres, 7 hours and 14 degrees if you are lucky enough to get a beautiful sunny day, no tide and happen to be a professional long distance swimming athlete.

Meet Michael, a local Brisbane hero with a passion for swimming complemented by a passion for helping Queenslanders who are doing it tough. Michael made a personal commitment in January 2016 to swim the English Channel during the English summer of 2017. A personal journey inspired by swimming legend, Des Renford, and the loss of loved ones at a young age.

Losing loved ones early in life has created a desire to help others be their best

Michael’s eldest sister Katrina and Uncle Henry had their lives cut short through illness and war; they were both departed by eighteen years old. Michael has not previously honoured his sister with an event nor publicly remembered his Uncle but his English Channel swim is the perfect opportunity. Michael hopes that by teaming up with Foodbank Queensland, he can help build awareness for the School Breakfast Program which ensures young Queenslanders get the healthy start they need. By fulfilling their potential at school kids can go on to live long, healthy lives that unfortunately his sister and uncle missed out on. Michael says, “by reaching them at a young age I hope this means our efforts will be multiplied and continue to deliver for generations to come.”

Michael’s commitment to intense training has prepared him for the long swim ahead

Michael started training in March 2016. Michael says preparing for the swim has been difficult “not only do you have to prepare for the distance, you have to prepare for the elements.” The 32 kilometres can easily turn into a 50 kilometre plus swim if the tide and conditions are not in your favour. The temperature is uncontrollable but Michael is travelling to various locations within Australia to test his abilities in a range of conditions with open water swims. And the time? Michael has not set himself a time goal as not only are the conditions too unpredictable, swimming with an amputation is no easy venture.

An accident does not make a quitter out of Michael!

Michael lost his leg at age 4 due to a devastating farming accident. He is a true warrior living a full life and maintaining his passion for swimming and not letting his prosthetic slow him down in any aspect of his life. Michael has made a pledge to swim the English Channel, to the best of his ability, without wearing his prosthetic in a bid to raise awareness and funds for Foodbank QLD.

Do your part and help Michael make a difference

Michael has set a generous goal of fundraising $20,000! Foodbank Queensland is able to provide 100 bowls of cereal and milk for kids with every $10 donated. If we work together to reach Michael’s goal this will be equivalent to 200,000 bowls of cereal and milk!

ABC declares War on Waste.

If you’re among the few who haven’t seen it, the documentary is a confronting look at the scale of waste produced by Australian businesses and consumers every year.

According to the ABC Australia’s waste is growing at double the rate of the population, making the series a timely reminder of the need to reduce our waste. ABC’s War on Waste month in May put the spotlight on our ‘waste crisis’, urging Australians to slow down the amount of clothes, coffee cups and food we throw away each year.

And it’s led to a lively conversation about the role food relief organisations play in re-directing food from landfill. Instead of throwing away edible food, farmers, manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers donate goods to Foodbank which are passed on to charities feeding the needy. With its charity partners, Foodbank has a dual purpose to eliminate food waste and food insecurity. If you’d like to take a peak, Foodbank NSW representative featured in the series’ first episode to show you how it all works. You can catch it here on ABC’s iView.

Not mention Foodbanks all across Australia have been busy getting noticed thanks to the ‘War on Waste’. We were lucky enough here in Queensland to inspire a visit from ABC Radio Brisbane journalist, Craig Zonca. To find out what a day in the life of Foodbank really means you can listen to Craig Zonca’s radio interview here.

The attention didn’t stop there with Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, featured on ABC News 24 to discuss the $1.2m Federal Energy Grant to go to food relief organisations around the country. You can watch the interview here, where Casey mentions the sad fact that experiencing hunger is a hidden crisis that needs to be talked about.

For more information, please head to the ABC’s War on Waste landing page here.

Foodbank’s bounty benefits those by the beach.

The Beachside Communicare Food Pantry is the charity arm of Beachside Church, Pottsville which operates under the leadership of Pastors Alan & Vanie Pillay and is coordinated weekly by Margaret Kennedy and her wonderful team of volunteers.

“Due to the increase of financial hardship in our community, we empathised and decided that we should do something on an ongoing basis to alleviate this problem.” says Alan.

Our vision is to:

engage actively in our community through regular food distribution
help alleviate poverty
support those experiencing social isolation.

The pantry serves mainly:

disadvantaged families (seniors, single parents, pensioners, aged, job seekers, disabled people)
people who might be in temporary crisis – out of work or ill of health
individuals facing social isolation who, when participating, have an opportunity to relax and interact with members of the community over a cup of tea and light refreshments and engage with a chaplain who enquires on their wellbeing, if required.

Approx 12-14 volunteers gather at 8:30 am and are assigned their duties, including providing refreshments, receiving newly delivered stock, bread, vegetables, and unpacking stock form storage cupboards.

Pantry patrons arrive as early as 8:30am and while waiting to be signed in, are offered tea, coffee and light refreshments and during this time interact with others. When the pantry is set up, the patrons are able to select their own groceries and free food items and pay for their purchases as they leave the room.

The operation of the Pantry is now into its 6 year and has enjoyed steady success, making a real difference for our organisation’s objectives, as well as for the disadvantaged people in the local community.

We have collaborated with our own members and many organisations over this period in ensuring that we can achieve our desired outcomes of providing poverty relief by way of food distribution.

On a closing note we owe our heartfelt gratitude to wonderful team at Foodbank who are genuinely interested in the address social disadvantage. The ‘family’ at Foodbank are always a pleasure to deal with, polite, courteous and helpful at all times and no doubt they contribute intensively to our and other agencies successful operations and existence.

You can make a difference this Christmas.

Christmas is a time of celebration, family, friends and gift giving. For many though, the reality will be very different this Christmas.

‘Last year my hours were cut back and now my wife is sick and without her income we struggle to pay the bills, let alone food!’ Bob, recipient.

With many Queenslanders living ‘pay cheque to pay cheque’ it doesn’t take much. An unexpected bill, a sudden illness, a relationship breakdown, insecure housing, a change in income or employment status, a lack of support networks are just some of the causes. The reality is, food insecurity affects 15% of the population. Sadly, a third are children and worse still, a further 4,283 people are being turned away due to the lack of available food.The good news is you can change this.

Together with Foodbank you can make a difference this Christmas by giving a gift to feed hungry families like Bob’s.

A donation of $50 provides 300 meals.
A donation of $75 provides 450 meals.
A donation of $100 provides 600 meals.

Bob, ‘knowing people care enough to give, restores hope that things can change for me and my family.’

So dig deep and give a stranger a gift this Xmas.

2017 Christmas Can Drive results!

Support for our 2017 Christmas Can Drive’s came from all corners this Christmas for a terrific result. Notable mentions this year!

Retail First and All Purpose Transport reached their target of 40 tonne! A very big target made possible through team work and the very generous shopping public!

Youi did an amazing job of helping us collect all the different can drives and storms didn’t hold them back from helping out it was a huge help!

Seasons Aged Care were back again this year to help out and through their villages collected cans and funds to help make a difference this Christmas.

The Brisbane City Council & Brisbane Libraries Book Amnesty collected a staggering 27 tonne in the month of December! Great to see people getting back to the libraries and to all those who just dropped in, THANK YOU!

QPS and the Bearcat were there for handover of cans from the Commissioners Gift Drive with cans collected around Queensland!

QUS Pty Ltd, BHP, Flight Centre and individuals donned the hi-viz and manned the Foodbank vehicles to make sure every can was collected all around Brisbane!

Queensland Government departments this year outdid themselves with 35 collections around the state with whole buildings supporting and regional teams joining in to support their local communities.

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much! It is through your support, whether one can or one coin it all adds up to amazing results for those doing it tough.

If you would like to help support Foodbank Queensland with a can drive, please phone (07) 3395 8422 or email marketing as below. Remember giving doesn’t end at Christmas.

New Year, new fridge for Village Avenue.

On the 23^rd November, 2017 the Griffith University Lions Club in conjunction with dollar for dollar funding from the Australian Lions Foundation Ltd officially completed a special project for the Village Avenue Community Church Emergency Food Relief Program,“The installation of a cold room and freezer room.”

At a luncheon held at the VACC facilities to celebrate the achievement, Lion Daynan Brazil, President of Griffith University Lions Club said, “This has been an important project for our Club and one we believe will enhance the Emergency Food Project now and in the future.”

We welcomed as special guests, District Governor Lion Ann Reed, Australian Lions Foundation Ltd Director Lion Lesley Lyons, and Lion Ian and Mandy Smith from Pinelands Lions Club.

It was delightful to have our guests share this special event and thank them for their comments of encouragement.Peter Cox of the Village Avenue Community Church, told the gathering how much they appreciate the partnership that has developed with the Lions and is sure by replacing the current situation, a number of refrigerators and separate freezers, will provide the opportunity to make more effective use of food generously made available through Foodbank and Second Bite.

“On average we do between 60 and 70 food parcels each month and operate five days a week servicing close to 400 individuals in 2017. Like many food relief programs VACC relies on the generous giving of church members and other local churches and service clubs. Being connected with Foodbank enables us to purchase about 25% more with the available funds we have.” Mr Cox said.

Also attending were recipients of the project services. Lion Larraine Bence said “It was an opportunity to hear firsthand of the benefits people have experienced and how much they have valued support received”. It has been a wonderful outcome and will ensure the VACC Emergency Food Project serves the community well in the coming years.