Major Charity Partnership Formed To Help Support Queenslanders In Need

Sunshine Coast based Go Transit Media Group, has today announced a corporate partnership with Foodbank Queensland which will help promote awareness and provide essential support to more than 150,000 families in need each week. As Queensland’s largest hunger relief organisation, Foodbank Queensland supports hundreds of frontline charities across the state to get fresh food onto tables.

As part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility commitment, Go Transit assists a broad and diverse cross-section of community, youth, health, and sporting organisations across its 400 regional markets every year. These include: Sleepbus, Give Me Five For Kids, Dollys Dream, RSL Australia, National Missing Persons Week, Cindy Mackenzie Breast Cancer Program and many more.

“In addition to this, we want to build a more meaningful contribution – particularly as the rising cost of living pushes up food insecurity and exposes more and more vulnerable Australians. We are proud to really get behind the hard-working team at Foodbank Queensland to make a positive difference”, said Andrea Coles, Go Transits Executive General Manager.

The new partnership includes an annual transit media plan, financial support through fundraising, social media campaigns and hands-on staff contributions. “We want to see our whole team involved in supporting this important cause in a very practical and genuine way. As part of this we will be providing some additional incentives for everyone to get involved”, Ms Coles said.

To kick things off, Go Transit are promoting Foodbank Queensland’s spring appeal on 25 buses across Queensland. Support like this benefits over 300 member charities who rely heavily on Foodbank Queensland to provide them with assistance. One of these member charities is Gateway Care, a Caloundra based community resource center. Gateway Care services demand across the wider Sunshine Coast region, as well as Caboolture and Gympie. It currently supports over 1000 families in need each week.

Tom Lew, Managing Director of Gateway Care, said that the operation was modelled on a social enterprise system which would mean that it was 80 percent self-sustaining, being able to sell food and other necessary household items at an affordable cost to those on compromised incomes or within the welfare system, leaving 20 percent repurposed so that essential items, including food, can be provided as a donation to those in crisis. “This includes people who are facing domestic violence, people who have lost their homes, people who through whatever circumstances, have nothing. It is very important that we can assist these people when they need it most”, Mr Lew said.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Go Transit Media Group and value their support in providing transit media opportunities, financial contributions and social media promotion,” said Jess Watkinson, CEO Foodbank Queensland.

“This partnership will ensure that we are able to continue to provide food and groceries to more than 300 frontline charities and 300 school breakfast programs each year to make sure no Queenslander experiences hunger, and help us to engage further support to increase our provision of food.”