Get the inside story on food security in Australia, in this interview with Michael Foldi from https://www.sharpcopiers.com.au/makea... and Chris Scott, Operations Manager for https://www.foodbank.org.au, Victoria's oldest and largest food relief organisation, servicing 460 charities!
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- Thanks for joining me. Philip Bateman from The Interview I'm down here with Michael Foldy, Founder of Make A Difference and Chris Scott, Operations Manager for Food Bank Victoria. Could you tell us what Food Bank's all about?
- Food Bank is the largest national organisation of food rescue. We rescue and redistribute food across the country, state, and territory, and in Victoria alone we look after 460 charities. We serve or look after 116,000 people every month that are seeking food assistance.
- Wow. I know I've been personally into food collections in the Wyndham area where people were just dropping them off at the front counter. It sounds like you're way back in the supply chain, actually sending job lots to people. Is that the case?
- We actually do it from end to end. From farm gate all the way through to manufacturers, producers, anywhere there's actually food that can be rescued and that's where we collect it. We're essentially a logistics or a large distribution centre for the not-for-profit sector. It's pretty amazing and also, I think, the critical thing for us is that we're actually run with volunteers. It's run by volunteers, managed by volunteers. It's truly amazing. 33,000-- 33,000, it's even difficult to say. 33,000 hours we donated last year to keep this operation running.
- Wow.
- Truly amazing.
- I know a lot of people complain about food wastage. It sounds like you're running a parallel system to the waste stream. I like to look at those 10 million kilos that we rescue. Between 95% and 98% of that's actually rescued from landfill, so I think we're doing our bit from an environmental perspective and obviously supporting the community, as well. We're pretty excited about working here and the work we do and obviously working with Michael and our generous supporters and donors. We wouldn't actually get that food if we didn't have those valuable organisations that supported us, so we're truly grateful for that, and when we get pasta, like this one, key staples, it's gold to us and for the agencies. We don't see that sort of food, it's pretty special. Pasta, Michael, what are we talking about, pasta? You're from Make a Difference. What's that about?
- Make a Difference, we're about transaction based giving. We turn a boring business expense, photocopiers, into tonnes and tonnes of pasta. It's the best way we give meaning to our jobs and with photocopiers there's over a billion dollars a year that companies spend on their photocopies and printers and we donate about half our profit of all the money that people spend on that and that is creating tonnes of pasta every month to places like Food Bank and other major soup kitchens and food charities that desperately require just that staple food.
- Yup. I know there was a sentence on your website, which said "You will literally be printing food as your copiers and printers become giving machines" Sounds very marketing to me.
- It's marketing. We do our very best to help people picture that by choosing to get their photocopier through us, it's all serviced and maintained, all the money they spend is directly helping fund pasta and food. That idea of as you photocopy, it's funding meals for people that can't help themselves at the moment or desperately need assistance, is the best way we found that people can really associate with it.
- Wonderful. Could you tell us how you got involved with Food Bank? Why did you decide Food Bank was the way? Food Bank is the largest food distributor in Victoria. They support, I believe, about 350 charities now.
- 460 there, Michael. 460.
- 460 and counting. Food Bank is the most practical way of helping all the charities around Victoria that are working in all their small communities, whether it be regional or inner city, so that they don't have to worry about spending time worrying about where they're going to get food to help the people that they're helping. They just come to one place. Food Bank, as you see, it's absolutely massive, and we're hoping to be able to fund five tonne a month of pasta, seven tonne a month of pasta, and all from money that people are already spending, so we're not asking for donations. We just want people to see that the $200 or $500 or $1,000 a month that they're spending on their internal copy and printing, that we turn that back into pallet loads. Even the average photocopier will fund 306 kilos of pasta. Even the average photocopier will fund 306 kilos of pasta. That's enough for about 2,000 meals and that's just one photocopier. Depending on the size of the company, if you've got printers, as well, it's more than that. I was just having a chat with Daniel, who's talking about 8 million tonnes coming through the door here. What do you think people need to know about Food Bank that they might not be aware of?
- It's a hidden crisis that you wouldn't actually expect in a lucky country like ours. I think that's the challenge for people to understand, that people are actually suffering food insecurity. 116,000 people in Victoria we support, but nationally there's over 4 million people who are food insecure or missing or skipping meals. For me, that's the passionate thing, and wherever we can spread that word and that message, that's what we want to do. It's pretty amazing what goes on.
- Can I ask what your personal connection to food insecurity is?
- I'm a chef, so I have a hospitality background, food, essentially it goes through my veins from when I was a child, as well, and obviously I grew up in the country, and things were pretty tough around there, I think that resonates and that's something that really has been with me for my life. From an environmental aspect, as well, I'm very driven around that. If I can combine the environment, food rescue, and supporting the most disadvantaged, it ticks all those boxes for me. I'm pretty passionate about it. Love working with people like Michael and organisations that are doing good, you know? It's not a normal business-to-business relationship. People like Michael are coming to support us and that's how we make a significant impact on the community and support everyone. We're pretty excited to have that partnership and build those, as well.
- Yeah, wonderful. If there's one thing you wanted people in the world to know about Food Bank, what would you tell them? First thing that pops in your mind. We don't need the Marketing Manager...
- I think if we can just get that message out and see what people are doing and support us any way you can. Financial is the best and has the most impact. Volunteering and supporting us, any way you can support us, we're extremely grateful and thank you very much.
- Wonderful, and you, sir? One thing you want people to know about the Make a Difference programme.
- One thing is it's all about transaction based giving. We're already spending the money and take that money that you're spending and help it fund pallet loads of pasta, help people that desperately need assistance.
- It's like we could work well-being into our budgets!
- True, done.
- Thanks.