With support from our regular donors to the SmartMeals program, and corporate support we have just made seven grants to provide food relief to people experiencing acute disadvantage while supporting employment and training opportunities.
The incredible support from Sheridan Australia and their generous customers since August 2019 has resulted in over $1 million raised for the SleepSafe program. The latest distributions of more than 20,000 high quality sheets and towels to flood affected regions, Domestic Violence refuges, youth accommodation services, and newly arrived Afghan evacuees, is a testament to this collaborative partnership. Sleep kits are making a real difference for vulnerable Australians and the frontline organisations that support them.
We launched SmartMeals back in March 2020, spurred on by a widespread need for food relief and employment support. With incredible community support and generosity SmartMeals has now run for 626 days, delivering 259,665 nutritious meals to local, at-risk communities, by partnering with and funding over 150 organisations across 6 states. SmartMeals has enabled this network of partners to not only to provide vulnerable people with food security, and deliver employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged workers, but to connect and collaborate with their local communities.
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Introducing the evolution of SmartMeals – Meals. Training. Jobs.
All meals will now be made by social enterprises, meaning vital job training, readiness and pathways programs for vulnerable people in a difficult jobs market. Read More
“Receiving SmartMeals makes me feel full of love… It might seem like a small act but you’re effectively changing the lives of people.” – Lana
Back in March as the COVID-19 crisis loomed we reached out to our community partners to listen to their concerns and gauge how to support them best. Nearly all confirmed that food security was a major problem for their homeless and disadvantaged clients. As soon as lock down was announced charity meals programs shut due to social distancing regulations and older volunteers protecting their health. Our response to this urgent food security challenge was to make a number of food relief related grants including supporting FareShare, a long term partner, and we also moved quickly to establish the SmartMeals program.