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30 years of change
Our evolution
As we look back on another year, we reflect on what this year has meant for us as we marked a huge milestone for Foodbank in WA, 30 years of operation. While we wish that services such as ours were not needed, the sad reality is that more and more people need us each week.
Thanks to the most kind-hearted partners, supporters, donors, growers and second-to-none volunteers and staff, each day we push and strive to ensure we meet our purpose to feed. educate. advocate. Let’s take a look back to see how it all began…
Rewinding the clock back to 1993, the idea of Foodbank in Western Australia was born. The wonderful people at the Lotteries Commission provided us a $15,000 grant for a feasibility study under the stewardship of Doug Paling for the need and viability of food relief in Western Australia. This proved beyond a show of a doubt that there was a food insecurity problem in our State and by late October 1994, we opened our doors and served our first customer at our original premises in Belmont.
Our first nutrition education session was held not long after in 1995 with the first of many participants learning how to eat healthy on a budget under the FoodCent$ pilot program. The following year saw the official launch of the program with support of the Department of Health.
In a move that would revolutionise how we operated forever, we opened the doors to our first regional branch in August 2000 to provide food relief in Albany and the Southwest. Our rapid expansion continued with our Peel branch opening the same year followed by Geraldton in 2003, Bunbury in 2004 and Kalgoorlie, our first purpose-built premises in 2011, followed by Geraldton in 2016.
Recognising kids were going to school without breakfast we partnered with schools around Western Australia to provide healthy brekkies through our School Breakfast Program which came to life in 2001 with just 17 schools. Today we have 552 schools registered all across our state and feed 26,100 students a week who would otherwise go without breakfast, and in some cases the program even ensures lunch for some of the most vulnerable.
Our passion for nutrition and education grew over the years to encompass a Healthy Food for All vision and the introduction of our Superhero Foods® HQ characters in 2013 which made teaching kids about nutrition a lot more fun.
In 2014 we introduced our Perth Airport School Fruit Van which to this day delivers 10kg boxes of fruit a week to 75 schools with thanks to Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and McCusker Foundation.
As the need for our services grew, we moved locations, firstly to Welshpool and then finally to the Perth Airport precinct where we moved to our purpose-built Centre for Hunger Relief thanks to the Department of Communities, Lotterywest and BHP in 2015. The only Foodbank Community Kitchen in Australia came to life here, with the first ready to eat frozen meal produced that same year. Our amazing Community Kitchen changes surplus ingredients into delicious and healthy ready to eat meals for customers and reduces our food waste greatly.
Our commitment to our local communities grew further in 2016 when we recognised that we were in a position to assist with natural disasters that can cause unexpected food insecurity, and we joined the frontline emergency relied on to support the Yarloop fires. Followed by so many more.
Our Mobile Foodbank hit the road in 2019 taking Foodbank into the suburbs to reach more people in Armadale, Midland, Joondalup, Fremantle, Willagee and Ellenbrook. We now have 76 locations regionally and in the metro area.
Recognising the need for consistent availability of staples, in 2023 we launched Everyday Food Essentials to ensure we always had this range available to customers.
As 2024 draws to a close, we continue to and adapt and innovate to ensure we support our customers with the dignity and respect each and every individual through our doors deserves. Continuing on our journey to provide healthy and nutritious food for those most vulnerable in our community, we thank each and every person who has supported us along the way. Watch this space for what 2025 will bring.