MEDIA RELEASE

 

Foodbank WA and the West Coast Eagles Million Meal Challenge continues in 2022

Foodbank WA and the West Coast Eagles, together with Mineral Resources, are calling on the WA community and all West Coast Eagles supporters to join The Million Meal Challenge this year, which is aiming to provide one million meals to Western Australians who are in financial stress and struggling to put food on the table.

The West Coast Eagles have been backing Foodbank WA for 10 years, helping thousands of Western Australians access food for their families.

In true Western Australian spirit, Mineral Resources have pledged to donate up to 100,000 meals – 1,000 meals for each mark taken by the Eagles when they play St Kilda at Optus Stadium on Sunday. An amazing representation of the WA corporate sector looking out for others within our State, ensuring no-one is left behind.

West Coast Eagles midfielder and Foodbank WA Ambassador, Andrew Gaff, is right behind the cause and will be pushing the team to take as many marks as possible on the day.

Chris Ellison, Mineral Resources Managing Director, said “As a proud WA company we are committed to supporting initiatives like this to help build healthier and happier communities.

We’re delighted to kick start the Million Meal Challenge by pledging 1,000 meals for each mark taken by the West Coast Eagles. Members of our 5,000 strong workforce and their families will be at the game to take donations from the crowd and we’d love to see everyone dig deep for this very worthy cause. Together we can achieve the target of one million meals.”

At Foodbank WA, more people are reaching out for our help than we have ever seen before. The cost of groceries, fuel, interest rates and rent are rising making it even more challenging for people doing it tough.

Kate O’Hara, CEO Foodbank WA said “Before the pandemic, we were assisting about 200 people a day through all our branches and mobile services. It is not unusual for us to assist more than 500 a day now. As the queues get longer, we urgently need the help of the community more than ever.”

We are extremely grateful for the ten-year partnership with the West Coast Eagles and the support received in the past.  This year’s event is another great opportunity to help our fellow West Aussies with the support of Mineral Resources.”

West Coast Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett said the club was proud to be able to contribute to the cause, along long-standing partner Mineral Resources, in this quest.

We know that many families in our communities are doing it tougher than others and understand we are in a position where we can help them,” Mr Nisbett said. “This partnership with Foodbank WA has been important to us for a decade and we know it has made a difference.”

Our members and fans are extremely generous, and we know they will rally to the cause on game day.”

For every dollar donated, Foodbank WA will be able to provide two meals to those who need it most.

You can donate securely anytime at foodbank.org.au/millionmeals or see one of the volunteers on game day or scan the QR code.

No one should have to go without food, not even for a day.

If you would like to know about Foodbank WA please visit Foodbank.org.au and Mineral Resources by visiting MinResCareers.com

 

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Media and interview contact: 

Moira Aynsley | Marketing and Communications Manager | moira.aynsley@foodbankwa.org.au | 08 9463 3218 | 0433 567 224

 

About Foodbank WA

Hello, we’re Foodbank WA. We believe everyone should have access to good quality food. We’re here for the everyday Western Australians who are going without. And it’s our job to help change that.

We provide food and groceries to those who struggle to afford them. We also deliver nutrition education to promote healthy eating and advocate on behalf of people that experience hunger and food insecurity.

We are here to support Western Australians in times of need. We do this through

  • Providing 6.7 million meals last financial year to those who were doing it tough
  • Distributing food and groceries through 448 frontline charities
  • Providing breakfast and fruit to 492 schools feeding 21,000 children weekly
  • Delivering education programs for over 6,200 children, adults and parents

 

We work with farmers, wholesalers, manufactures and retailers who donate and redirect surplus product to us. This also plays a vital role in tackling food waste and positively contributes to climate change by reducing CO2 emissions arising from landfill.

Our vision is to end hunger in Western Australia by 2030. Our purpose is to Feed. Educate. Advocate.