Thanks A Million campaign: Food relief team works 16-hour shift to fill lockdown parcels

Just as Bernardo Tobias and his OzHarvest Victoria team were getting on top of food relief for bushfire victims, COVID-19 threw him another curve ball.

Bernardo Tobias helped co-ordinate the food relief response during the bushfires and the pandemic. Picture: Tim Carrafa

To say Bernardo Tobias had a whirlwind initiation as the team manager of OzHarvest Victoria would be an understatement.

Just as the Brazilian-born manager was settling into his new role, summer bushfires raged.

And just as they were getting on top of the food relief effort assisting bushfire victims, COVID-19 hit.

“This month OzHarvest reached the milestone of providing 15 million meals in Victoria since OzHarvest started here in 2013,” Mr Tobias, 37, said.

“And to give you an understanding of the type of year we have had, five million of those meals were delivered between January and December 2020.”

Mr Tobias was nominated in the Thanks a Million award for his dedication and positive attitude managing the OzHarvest response in Victoria this year.

When COVID-19 compounded the need for food relief already under stress due to bushfires, Mr Tobias was able to see the true might of the OzHarvest machine move into action.

“On top of the normal changes everyone had to go through with working from home, especially in Melbourne where lockdown was implemented twice, keeping the team motivated was a massive challenge,” he said.

Bernardo Tobias was nominated in the Thanks a Million award for his dedication and positive attitude managing the OzHarvest response in Victoria this year. Picture: Tim Carrafa

“But I believe it’s a blessing to have the team I have, they really rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

“When the social housing towers in Flemington went into enforced lockdown, we got a call from the government to assist and our whole team of 32 workers and volunteers put in a 16-hour shift packing nutrition-catered food boxes for the residents.

“We packed 800 boxes in one day, it was a beautiful thing to see how the community rallied together — it’s the beauty of the Australian spirit.”

Mr Tobias gained his Australian citizenship in 2015 and soon after started at OzHarvest in Sydney as a food rescue truck driver as a way to give back to the country that had welcomed him.

Moving up the ranks, he was soon moved into logistics, then business development before he received a call from company founder Ronni Kahn asking if he’d move to Melbourne to manage the team there.

He is now the state manager for Victoria and South Australia.

To nominate someone and say thanks, go to thanksamillion.net.au and they could receive a $200 Woolworths Gift Card. Terms and conditions apply.