Woolworths

With 1.2 million people in Australia unsure of where their next meal will come from, Woolworths is extending the reach of its Fresh Food Rescue program, by donating 10 Fresh Food Rescue refrigerated vans to food relief organisations this November. This includes the donation of three vans to Victorian charities FareShare and SecondBite.

The Woolworths Fresh Food Rescue campaign aims to provide two million meals for those in need and $2 million to those who serve them, to help address the underlying social problem of hunger in Australia. To date, over 100 hunger relief organisations across the country have received grants for vital items such as refrigerators, freezers and kitchen equipment. FareShare and SecondBite, alongside six other charities across NSW, WA, SA, NT and QLD will receive refrigerated van this month. The donation of the refrigerated vans will enable the organisations to continue to collect surplus fresh food and increase their support of hunger relief.

"This year SecondBite will collect and redistribute 900 tonnes of fresh nutritious food to community agencies in Victoria and Tasmania, which is enough to provide 1.8 million hearty nutritious meals. We are delighted to be the recipient of two Fresh Food Rescue vans. They will help us ensure more people have access to fresh nutritious food and the best possible opportunity for improved health, social inclusion, prospects of employment and equity," said Katy Barfield, Executive Director of SecondBite.

"Each year, 370,000 people in Victoria run out of food and cannot afford to buy their next meal. Currently FareShare delivers 25,000 meals to approximately 150 agencies committed to feeding the hungry in the Victorian community. Thanks to the Fresh Food Rescue program and donation of the Fresh Food Rescue van, we will be able to partner with more agencies and reach more people in need," said Mr Godinho.

Every week, food rescue agencies and soup kitchens collect surplus fresh food directly from Woolworths stores. In the last year alone, an estimated 747 tonnes of fresh food was donated to charities and turned into healthy, nutritious meals for thousands of Australians in need. The surplus fresh food was the equivalent weight of 46 buses and would have otherwise gone into landfill.

Woolworths Director of Supermarkets, Liquor and Petrol, Greg Foran says, "At Woolworths we recognise our responsibility to ensure that fresh edible food, which for various reasons can no longer be sold, is put to the best possible use. This is why we have chosen to donate food through our Fresh Food Rescue Program.

"The Fresh Food Rescue program is also fundamental to helping achieve our goal of reducing food waste to zero by the year 2015," said Mr Foran.

The Federal Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, congratulated Woolworths for their great work.

"Woolworths has shown outstanding leadership through this program," Ms Macklin said. "I encourage other companies to follow Woolworths' lead in finding innovative ways to support vulnerable Australians."

The donation of the vans responds to recent consultation with the food relief sector and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA).

Working in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact at the University of NSW, the community consultation revealed that food relief charity services are in greater demand than ever before. It also found that alongside food donations, organisations were in desperate need of funding for infrastructure, such as vans, fridges and kitchen facilities.

States and cities that will receive support through a new refrigerated van include Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Townsville, Brisbane, MacKay and Wollongong. The delivery of the Fresh Food Rescue vans to Geelong, Adelaide and Darwin will also coincide with the launch of the Fresh Food Rescue program in these locations.

Currently, Fresh Food Rescue partnerships have been formed with more than half of Woolworths supermarkets and their local food relief organisations nationwide. The ultimate aim is to have all 823 stores participating in the program.

For more information about the Woolworths Fresh Food Rescue program visit www.woolworths.com.au.