Foodbank Western Australia
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can I find out about ongoing news and events ?
How can my organisation become a corporate supporter ?
How does my company become a food donor ?
How can I make a personal donation ?
How can I become a volunteer ?
How can I establish a permanent legacy ?
Who are the beneficiaries of Foodbank donations ?
How many welfare organisations does Foodbank WA supply ?
How can our charity work with Foodbank WA ?
Who really benefits from the work of Foodbank WA ?
Which are the biggest donor companies ?
How can one person make a difference ?
Why should I donate to Foodbank WA instead of other charities ?
How is Foodbank WA aiding the environment ?
How much food did Foodbank WA distribute last year ?
What percentage of turnover does Foodbank WA take as profit ?
What are your administrative costs ?
Does Foodbank WA get government support ?
Why does Foodbank WA exclude individual food collections ?
How can I get involved ?
How can I find out about ongoing news and events ?
Just supply your contact details and Foodbank WA will e.mail you regular bulletins as well as links to the latest online updates, or if you prefer, will post you a monthly newsletter with the details of current activities.
How can my organisation become a corporate supporter ?
Organisations are welcome to contact Foodbank WA with offers of financial support, products and/or services. We have constant requirements for professional services, transportation, office products, communication services, warehouse and office equipment, water, electricity and working capital.
All donations of goods or services in excess of $2.00 are tax deductible, and corporate sponsors will benefit from added exposure in our regular publications and on this website.
How does my company become a food donor ?
Foodbank WA enables corporations to make direct highly effective contributions to the community by donating goods, products and services. We welcome donations of fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen foods, grocery items and cash.
How can I make a personal donation ?
Individual donations to Foodbank WA can be made online. Just use the simple online donation form for immediate assistance to those in need. Donations of $2.00 or more are tax deductible. Alternately you can call our donation hotline during business hours on (08) 9258 9277.
How can I become a volunteer ?
Foodbank WA is able to continue due to the dedicated individuals who donate their time to collection, storage and packing at the Distribution Centre. Volunteers are welcome on a part-time or full-time basis. To contribute to this effort and join the team, please contact us.
How can I establish a permanent legacy ?
Foodbank WA can maximise the benefit of a philanthropic investment by structuring long-term interest-only contributions to operating costs. This can ensure a continuous behest to those in need.
Legal and financial advice can be provided by our pro bono corporate supporters. For more details contact Foodbank WA.
Who are the beneficiaries of Foodbank donations ?
The needy in our society. The homeless, the deprived and the poverty-striken. Foodbank WA co-ordinates the collection of food and grocery products which are for minor reasons not commercially saleable and distributes to over 450 welfare and charitable organisations throughout the state.
The corporations donating food also benefit. They retain brand protection, can reduce costs, and release valuable warehouse capacity by supplying product to Foodbank WA. This also reduces expenditure otherwise required for dumping or recycling consumable products. The donations are also tax deductible.
The environment is the third beneficiary. We can reduce the millions of tonnes of organic and packaging material being annually added to community waste dumps, by not wasting good food products.
How many welfare organisations does Foodbank WA supply ?
Foodbank WA supplies to over 450 welfare and charitable agencies across WA. These include large familiar charities and small local community organisations.
How can our charity work with Foodbank WA ?
Registered welfare and charitable agencies can contact Foodbank WA for details of operational procedures. All agencies are treated equally in the distribution according to an established criteria.
Who really benefits from the work of Foodbank WA ?
The needy in our community, the food manufacturing industry, the environment and our society as a whole. By collecting and distributing food and grocery products which would otherwise be dumped in landfill, Foodbank WA contributes to a massive saving of resources, not least reducing the demand upon social benefits programmes by supplementing the nutrition of needy families and individuals.
Which are the biggest donor companies ?
Foodbank WA is grateful for the generosity of all it's food and grocery donors. Amongst the list are some of Australia's largest corporations.
The size of a donation can be measured by the volume, value or the percentage of gross annual production. Some of the most generous contributors are small family firms which donate a comparatively high proportion of their perishable products.
How can one person make a difference ?
In a vast number of ways, one person can make a substantial difference in the lives of so many.
Foodbank WA benefits from the combined contributions of many individual people. The individual who donates a small amount and then commits to donating the same amount every month. The volunteer who spends one day each month sorting and packing product. The executive who determines to reduce the waste in his or her company.
The end result of all these efforts can be the difference between a child or adult’s malnourishment and potential burden upon society or his or her vitality and the opportunity to become a contributor to it.
Why should I donate to Foodbank WA instead of other charities ?
Foodbank WA is a not-for-profit charity which is dedicated to a multi-focus improvement of the community as a whole. The operation of Foodbank WA is wholly non-denominational, non-discriminatory and provides equal treatment to the more than 450 welfare and charitable agencies who distribute to the recipients of food and grocery products. By donating to Foodbank, corporations can reach every welfare agency in the state !
Capital and resources are supplied by many corporations and individuals, which minimises administrative costs, thus ensuring a maximisation of the benefit of all donations.
Other single organisations are focused on single target beneficiaries, whereas the operation of Foodbank WA is beneficial to everybody in the community, not just the needy. Reduced environmental pollution and increased corporate profitability through improved waste management ensure lasting macro-economic benefits for the entire community.
How is Foodbank WA aiding the environment ?
Foodbank WA introduced enterprise-wide initiatives to actively encourage large and small food and grocery manufacturers to minimise waste. The are many reasons for waste in even the most efficiently run organisation: changed labelling regulations, end of season excess stock, production line changeover items, out-dated competition packaging, discontinued products, as well as the merest label or weight inaccuracies which render a product legally unsaleable. Tonnes of cans or packets are disposed of every week. The main recipient of these products is landfill !
Companies from which Foodbank WA collects, reduce costs and do not just dump perfectly good product in the ground. The benefit to the environment is substantial, as many of these products can contribute to a toxic underground cocktail which will require expensive land restoration for future generations. Foodbank WA is responsible for an annual reduction in potential landfill of 1200 cubic metres.
How much food did Foodbank WA distribute last year ?
Foodbank WA distributed 1.2 million kilograms of food and grocery products in fiscal year 2003/2004. This included frozen and fresh produce, canned and packaged goods and grocery items such as basic hygeine and healthcare products. This is a 15% increase over the previous year, facilitated by an increase of 10% in donations.
What percentage of turnover does Foodbank WA take as profit ?
As a not-for-profit organisation, Foodbank WA does not take a profit. The 1.3 million required each year to maintain operations is covered by corporate supporters and major donors and from the nominal service fee imposed on all items collected by agencies. This ensures that other donations can be dedicated entirely to sourcing and distributing products to those in need.
What are your administrative costs ?
Foodbank WA is currently operated by over 100 part-time volunteers and just 8 full-time and 12 part-time staff, 5 severely disabled and 3 intellectually disabled people.
Does Foodbank WA get government support ?
Foodbank WA receives the support and assistance of various state and local government bodies including Councils and Waste Management Boards. It receives grants for specific projects and co-operation and support in dealing with the manufacturing industry. Without individual and corporate donations, it could not continue to operate.
Why does Foodbank WA exclude individual food collections ?
Foodbank WA enables welfare and charity organisations to extend their support to a large number of people throughout WA & the ACT. With limited resources, it is impractical to distribute directly to individuals. The role of Foodbank WA is to encourage governments, councils and the food manufacturing industry to participate in order to support the existing welfare and charitable agencies doing great work in the community.
How can I get involved ?
Involvement with Foodbank WA can take many forms depending on each individual’s resources. Volunteering of time and labour helps us process the collection and distribution of food. Financial donations assist in the running costs of the warehouse and enable Foodbank to keep service fees at a low rate.
Donation of fresh, frozen, canned, packaged and grocery items increases what can be distributed. Donations of professional services enable the offer of advice and assistance to donors and the maintenance of normal operations.
Financial contributions to Foodbank WA can be made online via the simple online donation form. Donations of $2.00 or more are tax deductible. The donation hotline during business hours is (08) 9258 9277.