PepsiCo pledges $480,000 to Foodbank Australia as part of a global initiative

April 2020, PepsiCo Australia has donated AUD$480,000 to Foodbank Australia to help combat the devastating effects of COVID-19. Globally, PepsiCo has recognised the need for meals and vital resources during this time and has pledged AUD$72 million to help those most affected by the virus.

On average, nearly one in five Australians face food insecurity each year. Due to the COVID-19 crisis Foodbank Australia has experienced a 50 per cent increase in the number of people needing support over the past month.

PepsiCo is proud to be donating AUD$480,000 to Foodbank Australia, one of the country’s largest food relief organisations, to ensure it has adequate food resources to meet the upsurge in demand, while continuing to provide nutritious meals for those who need it most. The funding will help individuals and families now and in the coming months as we see the effects of Coronavirus.

“We’ve seen a sudden and significant increase in the need for our services due to the impacts of COVID-19. We’ve gone from 815,000 people per month in a ‘normal’ period to over 1.2m, a frightening statistic,” says, Brianna Casey, CEO at Foodbank Australia.

“Foodbank needs to scale up urgently to respond to the unprecedented increase in the number of food insecure Australians and help them for as long as they may need it. We are incredibly grateful to our long-standing partner, PepsiCo, for the generous donation that will help us meet this growing demand and enable us to provide almost one million nutritious meals to individuals and families in-need across the country.”

“Food is at the heart of what PepsiCo does, and we are great admirers of the amazing work Foodbank Australia and the New Zealand Salvation Army Foodbank do within their local communities,” says, PepsiCo ANZ, CEO, Danny Celoni.

“We also acknowledge the unprecedented demand drought, bushfires and now COVID-19 have placed on Australian food relief organisations this year. I am proud and grateful to be in a position where we can support them during this difficult time by helping our partners bring food to those who need it most.”