Who we are
Foodbank Victoria is an independent charity that aims to deliver
nutritious, healthy food to individuals and families experiencing
hardship.
We provide food, emergency relief and support programs to
Victorians through a network of more than 550 community
organisations, such as welfare agencies, schools, support groups
and local resource centres.
In 2010 we gave out 3.1 million kilos of food and material aid
to people experiencing hardship within Victoria.
Foodbank Victoria is also part of the State Government’s Disaster
Response and Recovery Plan to distribute emergency aid in times of
crisis.
Our vision
A Victoria Without Hunger
Our mission
To deliver food, material aid and educational programs, in
partnership with community organisations, that help to
fundamentally improve the lives of Victorians experiencing
hardship.
Our philosophy
Foodbank Victoria strives to deliver ‘Value Beyond Food’ by
recognising that providing the essentials of life (food and
emergency material aid) has these important effects:
- Through our partner agencies we strive to meet the immediate
needs of families and individuals to receive adequate daily
nutrition
- We deliver more than food – by responding to identified needs
our capacity building initiatives aim to develop sustainable and
resilient individuals and communities.
- We are an enabler for our partner agencies to build trust with
their clients to look beyond their immediate needs and begin to
deal with the root causes of an individual’s hardship.
- We help reduce waste and society’s impact on the
environment
- By alleviating the impact on household and personal budgets we
are giving people the ability to make choices that build a sense of
empowerment, dignity and hope.
Our history
We are the product of a merger between the Victorian
Relief Committee and Foodbank
Victoria in 2005.
We have grown to become Victoria’s largest emergency relief
resource centre, unique in our capacity to access, store and
distribute hundreds of tonnes of perishable and non perishable
food.
Our Board
Foodbank Victoria is an independent, not-for-profit company
limited by guarantee.
Our Board of Directors oversee the strategic direction and
operational development of VicRelief Foodbank. The current
Directors are:
- Alan Williams (Chair)
- Lahra Carey
- Helen Christie
- Stuart Costa
- Jenny Grayling
- David Harris
- Geoff Heath
- Mick Ulbrick
- Rick Woods
Our founding member
organisations
 Foodbank Australia
Established in 1996, Foodbank Australia is a non-aligned,
not-for-profit organisation which sources and facilitates donations
of food and grocery products for distribution to welfare agencies
via an Australia-wide network of Foodbanks.
 Brotherhood of St Laurence
Through research, services and advocacy, the Brotherhood of St
Laurence helps people experiencing disadvantage at all stages of
life, empowering them to build a better future.
 Country Women’s Association
Victoria
The Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest
women's organisation in Australia. Self-funded, non-party political
and non-sectarian, the CWAA aim to improve the conditions
for women and children and make life better for families,
especially those living in rural and remote Australia. The
Victorian branch of the Country Women's Association recently
celebrated its 80th anniversary, and to this day continues to
improve the lives of many Victorians through its charitable
efforts.
 Jewish Aid
Australia
Jewish Aid Australia was founded in 1994 with a mission to
mobilise the Australian Jewish Community to participate and assist,
both locally and overseas, in humanitarian projects in the wider
community.
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