Coles supermarkets throughout South Australia will offer customers the opportunity to buy food donation cards with values of $5, $10 or $20, which will fund much-needed food items for Foodbank’s warehouses and food hubs.
Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation. In South Australia, Foodbank provides more than four million meals annually through a large network of charity partners, as well as school breakfast clubs. However, there is still a need for further assistance, with more than 8,000 people in SA missing out on Foodbank’s services every month.
Foodbank SA CEO Greg Pattinson said the donation cards, which will result in a range of breakfast, lunch and dinner food reaching those who need it most, are a landmark initiative in the relationship between Foodbank and Coles.
“This is an innovative way for Coles to contribute even further to the fight against hunger in Australia,” he said. “They’re already a major food and grocery donor to Foodbank and we’re thrilled to take this next step with them.”
Coles has worked nationally with Foodbank for the past 14 years, donating food and groceries each year that have been used to provide a total of 20 million meals.
Coles State General Manager Neil Lake said Coles was proud to work with Foodbank in South Australia.
“Customers and team members are telling us that they want a simpler way to make a difference in the community, and give people the products they require to prepare healthy meals,” he said. “The food donation card campaign will provide this and will make a major difference to the people in our community who need it most.”
The donation cards will be displayed on stands inside Coles stores and then scanned at the check-out and added to a customer’s grocery bill.
The cards will include pictures of the types of food that will be donated to the not-for-profit organisation and can be kept by customers as tokens of their generosity. Food donated to Foodbank as part of the campaign will include mealtime staples such as cereal, long-life milk, canned food and pasta.
