Greater Shepparton Foundation builds partnerships and collaborations to connect the needs of the local community with essential resources and skills to tackle and disrupt the cycle of disadvantage. The Foundation Features series will help shine a light on those driving change through innovative initiatives, as well as highlight community organisations that align with the foundation’s purpose.
We love hearing the progress of the services and projects with which Greater Shepparton Foundation has been involved.
Our role as a trusted philanthropic hub sees us not only providing financial support to projects and community groups that align with our focus areas, but we also serve as a vital connector of partners and resources. One such project GSF is proud to support is Shepparton FoodShare.
We are thrilled that Shepparton FoodShare recently secured funds to build a new warehouse. While being generously gifted warehouse space over the years, FoodShare has not had secure warehouse tenure, which was a risk for the future of the operation. These recent developments will see FoodShare commence construction on its purpose-built warehouse later this year, a permanent home for this vital community service.
Shepparton FoodShare was established in 2012 when the Community Fund, the entity GSF transitioned from, identified the need and convened a committee to pursue fundraising efforts to establish FoodShare. This came about by having an in-depth knowledge of our community and understanding its challenges. Like GSF, the Community Fund provided a grants program to support projects being delivered by local charities and services. A common theme in many of the applications and in community consultation was the alarming need for food and emergency relief. The rest, as they say, is history. More than a decade on the service remains essential to not only our community’s ongoing food relief needs, but it has also been vital in the crisis and emergency response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and the floods.
With living pressures increasing, so is food insecurity. Shepparton FoodShare has distributed 3.7 million kilograms of food to people in need via the more than 100 emergency relief agencies, schools, churches and community meals programs registered to collect food for the people they support. In addition to providing food, the service has a positive impact on the environment, as it rescues and receives donation of edible food that was otherwise destined for landfill.
Shepparton FoodShare has operated on community generosity over the years. It receives no guaranteed or regular funding, and volunteers provide the majority of hours required to operate. It has been a true community collaboration.
The 40 volunteers benefit from a sense of community connectedness and resilience and have the opportunity to share and gain skills.
GSF has continued to support Shepparton FoodShare over the years, providing grants for equipment, expertise on its board and more recently support by way of the provision of hand sanitiser and cooked meals during the pandemic.
If you would like to support this service and be a part of this community collaboration, FoodShare has its annual fundraising dinner, ‘Make a Meal of June’, coming up in June so look out for ticket sales and follow its Facebook page to stay up to date.
To read more about the projects GSF has been involved over the years, please visit our website: www.greatershepparton.foundation
Until next time.
Amanda McCulloch
GSF executive officer