The Give Where You Live Foundation is proud to announce a new partnership with GeelongPort, who have come on board as its newest Silver Donor, supporting the Foundation’s work to create a fairer, more equitable Geelong community.
This new partnership represents a shared commitment to making a meaningful impact across the G21 region, particularly at a time when rising cost-of-living pressures are driving more local families into food insecurity.
The Foundation’s latest Food for Thought research report highlights the growing challenges faced by food relief agencies in the G21 region, with demand for support increasing as cost-of-living pressures continue to rise.
The report revealed the large number of individuals and families the food relief sector is supporting, with the equivalent of one full shipping container of food distributed every week to help Geelong families struggling to put food on the table.
Give Where You Live Foundation CEO, Zac Lewis said this powerful statistic highlights the urgent and ongoing need within our community and the important role that local businesses like GeelongPort play in helping to meet that need.
“Our latest research shows that every week, Geelong’s food relief sector is supporting 8,751 people, providing over 34,000 meals, 2,372 food parcels, and distributing almost 23,000 kilograms of food,” said Mr Lewis.
“That’s the equivalent of one full shipping container of food every single week. Knowing that this much food is needed just to meet current demand is a powerful image and a stark reminder of the challenges so many in our community are facing. This new partnership with GeelongPort will help the Foundation in our work to support more people who need it most.”
GeelongPort CEO Brett Winter said it is important to support the Foundation’s work and to take an active role in helping the local community.
“Supporting the Foundation means supporting our local community. Working together we can address the pressing issues of food insecurity and help those who need it most,” said Mr Winter.
“We are particularly passionate about supporting people in the suburbs in the north of Geelong where the port is based. Through this collaboration we hope to make tangible differences to the lives of people in Norlane, Corio and North Shore.”
This formal partnership marks another important step in the relationship between the two organisations and builds on a long-standing relationship between GeelongPort and the Give Where You Live Foundation, which began in 1984.
Since then, GeelongPort has supported the Surf Coast Trek, was the inaugural presenting partner of the Foundation’s Conversations That Matter event and has collaborated with GROW partners such as CatholicCare Victoria to provide refurbished laptops to newly arrived refugee students learning English.