AUS | More Australians in need of hunger relief are set to benefit thanks to Woolworths' partnership with OzHarvest, with the supermarket set to match every dollar customers donate to the charity's Christmas appeal in-store and online between now and December 26th.
Funds from this year's Appeal will support OzHarvest in delivering fresh and nutritious food to more than 1,900 charities. While Christmas is generally a busy time of year for the organisation, demand for food relief is exceptionally high this year as 3.7 million households in Australia face challenges in putting food on the table.
To support the Appeal, customers shopping in Woolworths Supermarkets can round up their shop to the nearest dollar at self-checkouts or add a 50-cent token to their basket at full-service lanes. For those shopping online, a donation can be added to your basket. Woolworths will match all money donated.
Every 50 cent donated to OzHarvest helps them provide one meal, and this year's Appeal aims to provide 10 million meals for those in need. These funds will help OzHarvest keep its vans on the road and get good food to those who need it most. It comes on top of the weekly collections from the OzHarvest teams at more than 600 Woolworths supermarkets nationwide. Over the last ten years, 30 million kilos of fresh and nutritious food have been rescued.
Managing Director of Woolworths Supermarkets, Natalie Davis, said that the supermarket was acutely aware of the pressure that's being placed on Australian families through cost of living increases. For many Australians, Christmas is joyful, but it is very stressful for those not knowing how to put food on the table.
"Together, we've been providing food relief to Australian communities for more than ten years, which has supported more than 70 million meals for people facing food insecurity in local communities," said Davis.
Davis continued that despite tight household budgets, Woolworths has continued to see the incredible generosity of its customers and teams through the Appeals it hosts in support of various charity partners. These gestures go a long way. Woolworths hopes its contributions throughout the year, including $8 million donated by Woolworths to its food rescue partners in August, could help extend OzHarvest's impact even further.
"In our so-called 'lucky' country, it's devastating to think that 3.7 million households are struggling to put food on the table. We see the need in the communities every day and are doing our best to ensure good food gets to those who need it most, but often there's just not enough," OzHarvest Founder and CEO Ronni Kahn AO said.
"The Christmas Appeal is a wonderful way to help us feed more people in need, and from now until the end of the campaign, every donation will be matched – doubling your impact instantly. A huge thank you to the Woolworths team and all their customers who choose to donate this year – we couldn't do what we do without you."
The OzHarvest Christmas Appeal will run until December 26. Customers can also look out for the Woolworths Dreamy Choc Chip Santa Cookies in stores and online. Fifty cents from every pack is donated to OzHarvest, with donations from these purchases also matched.
In addition to OzHarvest, all Woolworths stores nationally have a food rescue partner, with the equivalent of 34 million meals supported in the last year.
