Coles backs new SecondBite winter appeal to help growing number of Aussies

SecondBite food ambassador Matt Preston is calling on Aussies to support those doing it tough as the need for food relief services has grown.

SecondBite, the nation’s leading food rescue organisation, launched its annual winter appeal in partnership with Coles on Wednesday, as a growing number of Australians are forced to decide between paying bills and affording three meals a day.

From today until July 25, every $2 donation card purchased from Coles checkouts will equate to 10 donated meals for those in need. Coles shoppers can donate directly in-store or online.

Donations will also be accepted at Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, and First Choice Liquor Market stores until August 1.

With the funds raised, SecondBite rescues unsold, edible food from growers, manufacturers, and retailers, ensuring it reaches more than 1100 charity partners across the country free of charge.

Esteemed food writer and TV personality Matt Preston has been a SecondBite ambassador for more than a decade.

Matt Preston with Christ Church Community Centre volunteer Josie Alexander during Coles SecondBite Winter Appeal launch at Christ Church Community Centre in St Kilda, Melbourne. Picture: Martin Keep/Coles

“We’ve seen a huge increase in demand for food relief this year [with] all of our state operations forecasting significant increases in food demand til year’s end, up to double their usual volumes, and we have waiting lists for charity partners who want to be supplied by SecondBite,” Preston said.

“There is also a significant uptick in demand from people in ongoing, steady employment showing how tough things are.”

He said providing food to those in need had a profound impact beyond nourishment.

“Food is about … social connections for not just clients but volunteers as well and many of SecondBite’s charity partners also provide housing, emotional and financial support,” he said.

“The work SecondBite does just makes good sense – why would we waste good quality food and contribute to environmental issues when it can be redistributed to people in need?

“We have an excess of food in Australia, and yet people go hungry every day, for no good reason. SecondBite is doing something positive about that.”

Coles corporate and indigenous affairs general manager Sally Fielke.

Coles Group general manager of corporate and Indigenous affairs Sally Fielke said, since 2011, Coles had donated more than 200 million meals, including fresh produce, bread, and meat.

In addition, SecondBite recently received a $500,000 grant from Coles’ Nurture Fund, enabling the provision of up to six million additional meals annually.

All funds raised in the Winter Appeal at Coles will directly support SecondBite in providing cooked meals, food hampers, and community pantries.

In the past year, Coles donated 17.7 million kilograms of edible food, equivalent to 35 million meals, diverting it from landfills.

Additionally, Coles has contributed two million kilograms of food from their distribution centres, ensuring four million more meals for SecondBite to distribute, especially during the Covid pandemic.

Buy a $2 donation card or make a donation at Coles stores until Tuesday July 25, or Liquorland, First Choice Liquor or Vintage Cellars store until August 1.

Originally published as Coles backs new SecondBite winter appeal to help growing number of Aussies