Community Partner Story – Goodness Enterprises

Sharing food and empowering the community of Ipswich and surrounds is at the heart of Goodness Enterprises. Whether it’s cooking thousands of meals each week, assembling hampers for families or distributing fresh produce to those in need, the goal is the same – making sure no one goes hungry and create opportunities for goodness.

Every inch of Goodness Enterprises is alive with energy. In the kitchen, volunteers and trainees are busy preparing thousands of meals, ensuring no food goes to waste. The co-op shelves are restocked as fast as they are emptied, providing families with affordable groceries. Outside, a team works on an ambitious conservation project, restoring a former koala corridor that had been lost to development.

“It’s massive what we are doing here,” Greg, General Manager at Goodness Enterprises shares, gesturing to the growing operation, “and that is why we need whatever help we can get.”

The centre runs like a well-oiled machine, but behind the efficiency is a constant battle to stretch every dollar. “We’re always trying to work out how we can make one dollar turn into ten,” Greg explains. “That’s the attitude. If we sell meals through the kitchen, that’s money we can put back into food for the co-op. It’s about making it work for as many people as possible.”

With expansion plans already in action, they hope to increase their capacity to store food to be able to support more people in their community. “We don’t refuse donations because you never know what you’ll get. We take everything, sort through it, and find a way to use it,” he shares. Through great partnerships with local producers, Foodbank Queensland, local farmers and other partners, Goodness Enterprises has created a circular system to help people.

Demand continues to rise. “The number of people coming through continues to grow, and the diversity of those seeking help is increasing.” Families and communities who have never sought food relief before are now feeling the pinch of the rising cost of groceries and food. The centre operates a membership-based co-op, offering lifetime access to affordable groceries for just $15. “Giving people dignity and choice is a core part of what we do,” says Greg.

Beyond food relief, Goodness Enterprises transforms lives through training programs. “We have five different Certificate I programs that we offer, running twice a year to help long-term unemployed people and young people gain skills and experience.” Their work-for-skills program boasts an 86% success rate in helping trainees secure jobs – well above the industry standard of 55%. Greg shares, “Our goal is not just to feed people, but to give them purpose.”

The energy and enthusiasm to create more goodness is undeniable. Growth and finding more ways to assist their community define the centre’s daily operations, with every effort focused on helping more people in need. For their whole team, the mission is clear. “We empower people for life – socially, economically, environmentally and spiritually.”

If you are in a position to help Foodbank Queensland provide more food across the state to support Queenslanders in need, please consider joining the fight against hunger as a regular giver.