SPC has partnered with Foodbank to supply key pantry staples to vulnerable Australians. With the support of supply partners Visy and Rinoldi, SPC produced 230,000 cans of spaghetti and tomatoes at the SPC Factory in Shepparton for those in need.
The Foodbank Hunger Report 2022 revealed over two million households across Australia experienced severe food insecurity, and on any given day in Australia, more than half a million households struggle to put food on the table.
SPC chair Hussein Rifai said Australians were experiencing some of the most insecure and stressful times in history, as the world continued to recover from the global pandemic and navigate through ongoing strain from increases in cost of living.
“SPC is committed to delivering Better Food for the Future, and as part of this mission, we are proud to continue giving back to our communities and supporting important initiatives such as the Foodbank Collaborative Program to do our part in helping create better lives for our fellow Australians,” Rifai said.
SPC said it has supported The Foodbank Collaborative Supply Program for years but this year was particularly passionate about elevating the collaborative event to maximise awareness, and hosted an official gathering at the SPC factory in Shepparton, opening the factory to official guests for an exclusive tour.
Foodbank Australia CEO Brianna Casey attended and thanked SPC and collaborative partners for ongoing support to Foodbank.
“In 2022, SPC donated 67,300 kilograms of tinned tomatoes and spaghetti for Foodbank’s Collaborative Supply Program and with the support of SPC, Foodbank sourced 82 million kilograms of food and relief groceries for vulnerable Australians.
“The day-to-day reality of food insecurity we’re seeing at Foodbank has certainly changed – it’s not just people on the street, but people in your street. It could be your neighbour, your colleague or your friend, more and more we’re seeing people with mortgages, double income families, rents to pay, all turn up at Foodbank needing help.
“Without partners such as SPC, Rinoldi and Visy, we wouldn’t be able to help put food on the table for the more than one million Aussies we help every month,” Casey said.
Visy GM, Brian Thiele said Visy was proud to support the Food Bank initiative at SPC for another year in 2023.
“The cans donated by Visy will contribute to the final volume of 230,000 filled units provided to Food Bank to support the delivery of meals to those in need,” Thiele said.
