Matt Preston
Celebrity foodies Matt Preston and Tobie Puttock are getting behind the upcoming giving day with all donations up to $100,000 matched to help the 14 million Aussies struggling to make ends meet.
Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, SecondBite, is hosting its inaugural Million Meals Day on World Food Day Wednesday 16 October and is calling for donations to help it raise enough funds to provide the equivalent of one million meals to feed vulnerable Australians.
Donating $1 to SecondBite provides up to five meals for people who are experiencing hunger however, all donations received from now until Million Meals Day will go twice as far with SecondBite partners matching them dollar for dollar, up to $100,000.
Million Meals Day arrives as new YouGov research reveals more Australians are food insecure, and the number is growing. In the past 6 months, almost six in ten Australians (56%) say they have had to make difficult choices between buying food and paying for other expenses, due to limited financial resources. That’s more than 14 million Aussies who are struggling to make ends meet.
Daniel Moorfield, SecondBite | FareShare CEO said, with this year’s World Food Day theme being ‘right to foods for a better life and a better future’, the Million Meals Day fundraiser seeks to action this call.
“Support for SecondBite’s Million Meals Day will help ensure that fewer people in our communities – they may be your neighbours, friends or colleagues – have to make the heart-wrenching decision between buying food and paying for other essential expenses. With the need for food relief growing dramatically across the country, Million Meals Day helps to address this challenge,” he said.
On the day, SecondBite staff and volunteers will turn SecondBite’s Abbotsford HQ into a hive of activity, with a community of wonderful supporters hosting a telethon, making and receiving calls to process donations. SecondBite Ambassadors – food writer and tv personality Matt Preston and celebrity chef Tobie Puttock – as well as SecondBite co-founder Simone Carson will be joining the team throughout the day to lend their support.
The research also found in the past six months 30%, or approximately six million Aussies, have skipped a meal to save money. Gen Z is the most likely to be skipping meals in the current cost-of-living crisis with a staggering 48% stating they have done so in the past six months.
Food is often a gateway to link those doing it tough with other essential services like healthcare, financial support, counselling, and housing assistance. The social connections and results gained through these programs can be life changing.
“Million Meals Day is not just about food relief, it’s about transforming lives. Food brings people together and starts a conversation. This movement hopes to create the momentum to enable SecondBite to have an even greater positive impact on the lives of more Australians. We warmly welcome the support of all those Australians who are in a position to contribute,” said Matt Preston, food writer & TV personality; and SecondBite Ambassador.
To donate and support SecondBite to reach its mission of providing one million meals visit secondbite.org. Early bird donations will be accepted and matched from 7 October, 2024.
About SecondBite
For almost 20 years, SecondBite has worked with growers, manufacturers and retailers to rescue quality, nutritious food and deliver it to the people who need it most. And we do it for free.
We rescue and repurpose food in every state and territory of Australia, each year providing the equivalent of 50 million meals to hungry Australians.
Research Methodology
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1562 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25th – 30th June 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Australian adults (aged 18+).
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