Supermarket giant Coles is partnering with Australian charity SecondBite to help Aussies in need this Christmas with donation boxes.
The special donation boxes include groceries such as pasta, soup and cereal.
“This Christmas, through SecondBite and Coles Online, you can help deliver special donation boxes full of grocery essentials, such as pasta, soup and cereal to people in need,” a spokesperson for Coles told Inside FMCG.
Customers can do their part of donating a cash amount to go towards the initiative.
“You can donate $5, $10, $25, $50 or more and 100 per cent of your donation will go to grocery boxes to people who need it the most. Donation Boxes will be sent to SecondBite, who will distribute them to help put meals on otherwise empty plates.”
The program has so far resulted in more than 70 million meals going to Australians in need since 2011.
“SecondBite’s impact upon the lives of those who depend upon our support and the change that has been driven with respect to our operating environment has been dramatic. 10 years ago, legislation precluded the participation of food producers, suppliers, manufacturers and retailers in the donation of food to charitable organisations,” said Jim Mullan, CEO, SecondBite.
“Last year, SecondBite provided the equivalent of 20 [million] meals to Australians doing it tough. However we have no intention of resting on our laurels. We have developed an ambitious but realistic strategy which will carry [the organisation] to the next stage of our development. For [us], the future means scale, cost effectiveness, leadership in core competencies and network growth. I encourage all of our partners and supporters to join us on the journey.”
The food charity operates in every state with the support of over 1,300 community food program partners across the country.
The collaboration with Coles will help feed an estimated 3.6 million Australians who can’t access sufficient food for their families.