Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation, Foodbank, is partnering with Optus to provide support for Australian families this Christmas.
The Foodbank Hunger Report 2017 states 3.6 million Australians experienced food insecurity at least once in the last year. Nearly half of food insecure Australians are employed and 81 per cent of the people Foodbank provides hunger relief to are from low-income families.
Ben White, Managing Director, Marketing & Product at Optus, said by partnering with Foodbank, Optus aims to deliver 30,000 meals to vulnerable families this festive season.
“We are proud to have partnered with Foodbank this year, by giving our customers the opportunity to help deliver much needed meals to Aussie families over the Christmas period,” White said.
Customers can donate at Yes Optus Stores by rounding up their final bill or purchasing a Foodbank gift card, with 100 per cent of all donations and purchases going to Foodbank Australia.”
Brianna Casey, CEO of Foodbank, said donation cards are a heart-warming gift this Christmas. “Just a small donation of $10, $15, or $20 can provide food and groceries for a family doing it tough this festive season,” she said.
The partnership launched on 7 December, when White and Casey joined more than 100 Optus staff to pack over 500 hampers for families in need this Christmas. Staff from all areas of the business were joined by senior leaders as they sorted and packed food from their campus-wide food drive.
“We’re very excited to be kicking-off our partnership with Optus through this generous initiative driven by the Optus team,” Casey said.
Foodbank provides 63 million meals a year to more than 2,600 charities and 1,750 schools. Each year it distributes over 35 million kilograms of food and groceries – the equivalent of over 172,000 meals a day. Foodbank accounts for 70 per cent of all the distributed to charities by food rescue organisations in Australia.