More than four million Australians experience uncertainty around where their next meal is coming from.
In the 2019 financial year alone, donations of Riverina rice as well as products from SunRice’s specialty foods business Riviana, contributed to putting more than 400,000 meals on the tables of Australians in need.
SunRice’s Global Operations and Agribusiness general manager Tom Howard says it is a privilege to be able to help.
“Riverina growers donated almost 150 tonnes of rice, or 2.5 million serves of rice in the 2019 financial year, which was achieved despite another tough year for growing rice in the Riverina due to low water availability and high water prices,” he said.
“In addition, Riviana donated 72 tonnes of product, which equated to over 129,000 meals.”
Almost 1400 tonnes of Riverina rice and 300 tonnes of Riviana products have been donated since the partnership with Foodbank began in 2013, which equates to 28 million serves of Riverina rice and almost 550,000 meals of Riviana products.
But that is not the only support they provide, with employees volunteering to help pack grocery items into boxes for distribution to Foodbank’s charity partners, including Salvation Army, Moira Foodshare, Quang Minh Temple, Sacred Heart Mission and Hope City Mission.
“Last month, a team of eight enthusiastic volunteers from our Victorian operations participated in Foodbank’s Pick Pack Food Order program,” Mr Howard said.
“They packed a whopping 8,812 kilograms of food orders, equivalent to approximately 15,878 meals for the community.
Broken down even further, this is the equivalent of feeding a family of four, three meals a day for 1,323 days or 3.6 years.
“Alarmingly, more than 40 per cent of Foodbank’s volume of much needed food and grocery products is distributed to rural and regional communities all over the country.
“We should all be really proud of this partnership and its important function to help our societies and communities.”
