Secondbite and Coles making a difference

'Too many people in our community cannot afford nutritious food for themselves and their families'

Coles Gympie are behind the Secondbite program with Gympie's Luke Callagham, Renae Bramley, Rebecca Jamieson and store manager Kim Todd in store. Picture: Renee Albrecht

MORE than 3500kg of leftover fresh food from Coles Gympie has been given a second chance in the past 12 months when it was donated to Gympie families in need.

Now the supermarket is aiming to continue the good work this month with the help of Gympie shoppers who can provide the equivalent of eight healthy meals for families with a $2 donation.

Working with national charity Secondbite, Gympie Coles produce is redistributed to St Vincent de Paul, which provides food hampers to people in need.

Coles Gympie store manager Kim Todd said the donation program is a great opportunity to support the wider community.

She said not only does it help people who are struggling, but it limits the waste going to landfill.

"The food is too good for landfill,” Ms Todd said.

It comes down to the aesthetics rather than the quality that puts the product on the donation list.

She said typical items given to the charity for redistribution are fresh produce from the fruit and vegetable aisle and the bakery.

"Apples, oranges, bananas and a number of vegetables that are all within the use-by date but may have imperfections are donated,” she said.

The fundraising appeal follows SecondBite's survey, which found that nearly 70 per cent of community food groups, charities and welfare agencies were experiencing an increase in demand for their services compared to 12 months earlier.

Family breakdown, social isolation and depression are the most widely reported factors contributing to people's need for food assistance, according to the survey.

SecondBite CEO Jim Mullan said more funding was required to pay for operational costs involved in providing food to the increasing number of people in need.

"Across Australia we now work with around 1300 fantastic community groups to distribute surplus food from Coles to people in need,” he said.

"However, we need funds to pay for our ongoing operating expenses such as fuel, transport and refrigeration so we can deliver this food.

"By donating to SecondBite, people

can help us to reach more people experiencing hardship.”

Coles state general manager Jerry Farrell encouraged shoppers to get behind the fundraising campaign this winter.

"Too many people in our community cannot afford nutritious food for themselves and their families. By raising funds for SecondBite, we hope we can help get more meals on the table for people in need,” he said.

Ms Todd said for the next five weeks shoppers can buy a $2 donation card to help Coles Gympie support the charity.

"We're definitely making an impact,” Ms Todd said.