Shepparton Foodshare Raises $87,500

Shepparton Foodshare’s annual fundraising campaign ‘Make A Meal Of June’ has been a great success, raising $87,500!  The critical local service had hoped that they would have been able to come together again this year for a dinner at The Woolshed @ Emerald Bank however a state-wide lockdown due to the COVID pandemic four weeks out from the event, then the uncertainty around venue restrictions saw organisers move to the successful ‘takeout style’ model that they adopted last year.   

Shepparton Foodshare Chair, Jeremy Rensford, said “cancelling the event was not an option for us as we rely on this fundraiser to keep our doors open to the 100 agencies that are registered to collect our food for the people they support and that now need us more than ever.”

The ‘Make A Meal Of June’ campaign was kicked off with a donation of $20,000 from The Attwood Trust.  The community then got behind the campaign by ordering a beautiful 3-course meal for two supported by well-known locals, Cam and Angela Mangiameli of The Woolshed @ Emerald Bank. Cam and Angela generously donated the proceeds from The Woolshed’s home delivery orders on June 25.  Fowles Wine also donated a bottle of wine for each meal for two ordered.  168 meals for two, were prepared by The Woolshed team and enjoyed throughout the region raising an incredible $11,000 to contribute to the campaign total!

Jeremy said, “Cam and Ang are local treasures who are always so willing to help not only Foodshare but so many valuable causes in our community.  It is not lost on us how much extra work ‘takeout style’ is for The Woolshed team so we are forever grateful for the hours they put in to ensure our fundraiser was a success.”

The Woolshed’s Angela Mangiameli said, “we are so pleased that the community love the special treat of being able to enjoy our meals at home with family or friends, all whilst supporting such an important local cause.”

Financial support also came via a $15,000 donation from the Freemasons Foundation of Victoria, donations from various service clubs, a donation by Cam and Ang themselves, online donations on the Foodshare website and via local business and individuals securing a Foodshare ‘Monthly Partner Package’.  Monthly Partner packages are popular with business as it provides them with an opportunity to contribute to their local community whilst also providing a return on their investment via some great promotional opportunities.  Of the 12 available, Foodshare has two Monthly Partnerships left.  Anyone wanting more information on a Foodshare Monthly Partnership can email [email protected]

Shepparton Foodshare supplies 100 emergency relief agencies, churches, community meals programs and schools with free food to distribute to the people they support.  The busy warehouse generally receives and distributes around 300,000 kilograms of food annually, or the equivalent of 600,000 meals, and prevents edible food entering landfill.  Last year however demand for food increased, seeing 380,000 kilograms of food distributed by the service.  

Since 2012 Shepparton Foodshare has distributed 3 million kilograms of food to the most vulnerable in our community, they have done so due to their own fundraising efforts and extreme generosity for the local community.

Jeremy, said “with demand for food relief continuing to rise and with the added pressures of COVID the agencies that access our food to provide to the people they support are seeing an increase in food insecurity.”