27 October 2023
Suncorp Bank helps put food on the table for Queenslanders in need
5 min read
Suncorp Bank has teamed up with Australia’s leading food rescue organisation OzHarvest, to help fund a new kitchen space in Brisbane which will provide up to an additional 52,000 cooked meals each year to help feed Queenslanders in need.
OzHarvest Brisbane already rescues more than 26,500kgs of quality food each week from food donors across the region. The new kitchen operations will expand its corporate engagement program, Cooking for a Cause, to produce up to 1,000 extra meals each week to help put food on the table at 140 local charities.
Suncorp Bank Executive General Manager Everyday Banking Nicholas Fernando said as the rising cost of living continued to drive high demand for food relief, the new kitchen would help feed more people in need.
[Nick Fernando]
The team and I are here today at cooking for a cause at OzHarvest’s brand new kitchen. We're very lucky. We're one of the first teams to come out here to test drive the brand-new kitchen.
[Bernado Tobias]
Our partnership with Suncorp Bank has really enabled us to bring this kitchen to Salsbury and to operate under one roof, which basically created efficiencies across the board for us operationally and allows us to make a lot more meals so the Community, which is brilliant in a time of need.
[Nick Fernando]
Well food security and cost of living is really important right now - with 6 million people that really need this help and we're here to help those local communities.
[Melinda McInturff]
I've never seen more demand for food than I have in the last 12 months. Rent is so high in our community and people are just struggling to put food on the table every day. I cannot rate our partnership with OzHarvest high enough. It enables us to provide food to our community that we would never be able to provide without their support We have some parents that come to our community centre and get meals so that they don't have to miss out on the food. They can feed their kids, they can feed themselves and not worry about where their next meal is coming from.
[Kara Urbanska-Bull]
So having the kitchen on site not only does it unite the team, where where all of the drivers are under one roof, the chefs are under one roof and the office people went all together, it also allows us to cook an extra 1,000 meals a week that can be delivered to those in need. So our Cooking for a Cause program is our team building program where our corporate partners get to come in the kitchen and cook with us OzHarvest chefs and our wonderful Yellow Army of volunteers, where we'll take surplus rescued food and we'll repurpose it into a delicious meal that we can deliver to the community.
[Melinda McInturff]
You know, when someone gives you a home prepared meal, there's nothing better than that. That someone's actually cut the things up in there, with their own hands and put love into a bowl.
[Bernado Tobias]
So we're here inviting every corporate team out there who is willing to roll up their sleeves and get amongst it and help us come through and cook for cause with us.
SUNCORP BANK EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER EVERYDAY BANKING NICHOLAS FERNANDO
“Food security and food waste are urgent issues in our communities, and we are partnering with OzHarvest to support the work it does to create real and lasting change for those who really need it.
Our national partnership with OzHarvest is critical for our organisation; we are both passionate about creating a brighter future for our people, our customers and our communities and this will make a huge difference to the lives of Queenslanders in need.”
“We’re excited to be some of the first teams kicking off Cooking for a Cause and producing meals in this new space. And as part of this work, we will also be supporting OzHarvest with the fit out of offices to support the team to keep doing the incredible work they are doing.”
In a recent community needs survey of 1,900 charities Australia-wide1, OzHarvest found that 73 per cent of charities it supports had seen an increase in demand for their services in the past six months and almost half do not have enough food to meet demand.
OzHarvest Queensland State Manager Bernardo Tobias said almost a third of people seeking support had never needed food relief before.
OZHARVEST QUEENSLAND STATE MANAGER BERNARDO TOBIAS
“The demand for food is at an all-time high. OzHarvest supports more than 140 charities in Brisbane however, there are over a hundred on our waiting list.
Thanks to our incredible partnership with Suncorp Bank, we have been able to secure a new kitchen space right next to our warehouse, allowing us to increase our capacity to cook more meals for those who need it most.
Christmas is OzHarvest’s busiest time of year, so we’re inviting corporate teams to show their true heart and follow Suncorp Bank's lead, making real impact by ‘Cooking for a Cause’ in our new kitchen.”
“We hope to be creating up to 1,000 extra meals per week by Christmas, which will help put food on the table for those who need it most. Christmas is a difficult time for families in need, so we’re thrilled to be able to provide delicious meals made with love and kindness.”
Michelle Gilchrist from Encircle Redcliffe, one of the charities that receive OzHarvest food, said the extra meals would support so many members of the community who don’t have regular access to fresh cooked meals.
“Our guests appreciate receiving ready cooked meals that they are able to just heat and serve. Although we also distribute produce to our guests some don't have the capability of cooking for themselves. Prepared meals are a great option for many of the people we assist.”
Corporate teams of up to 16 can book in for OzHarvest’s Cooking for a Cause in the new kitchen space at Book Cooking for a cause in Brisbane or by contacting cfacqld@ozharvest.org.
