Coles Liquor has revealed details of its 2021 Christmas appeal, which this year will support food rescue charity SecondBite and help Australians who are doing it tough over Christmas.
The appeal will see more than 900 Coles Liquor stores collecting customer donations until December 12, with a donation of just $2 at any Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market or Vintage Cellars store enabling SecondBite to put the equivalent of ten meals on the table for Australians in need.
According to SecondBite there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking food support since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are forgoing meals just to pay essential bills and community organisations expect stronger demand this year compared to 2020.
SecondBite Chief Executive Steve Clifford said demand for food relief was expected to remain high as employment numbers gradually recovered from the impact of lockdowns and the closure of parts of the economy.
“Giving is at the heart of almost all our Christmas traditions and this is reflected in the generosity of Australians during the festive season,” he said.
“Christmas should be a time to celebrate the things that really matter, our bonds with family and friends – not worrying about where your next meal will come from. A donation of just $2 enables us to provide enough food for up to ten meals for people who would otherwise go hungry at this special time of year.”
SecondBite first partnered with Coles in 2011 to rescue unsold food and work with its community organisations to transform excess produce and pantry items into meals and food relief hampers.
The partnership was further strengthened in 2014 when Coles Liquor came on board to raise funds to ensure SecondBite could work with local not-for-profit groups to distribute meals and food across Australia.
“The generosity of our customers and the hard work of our team members in Coles Liquor Group has delivered the equivalent of almost 34 million meals to needy Australians over the past seven years,” Coles Liquor General Manager Operations, Steve Hugginson said.
“We are so proud of this partnership with SecondBite, which taps into the extraordinary efforts of local charities across the country and powerfully connects with our company-wide ambition of Together to Zero hunger.
“When customers make a donation to our Christmas Appeal they make a genuine difference, with 100% of all proceeds going directly to SecondBite.”
Customers can donate to SecondBite at any Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market or Vintage Cellars store until December 12, 2021.