Noumi partners with Shepparton Foodshare
By Deanne Jeffers
AUSTRALIAN dairy and plant-based milk products business, Noumi, has partnered with local food relief non-profit, Shepparton Foodshare. The partnership will see thousands of litres of dairy milk products donated to support Goulburn Valley communities in need.
Noumi CEO Michael Perich said they are humbled to play a small but important role in ensuring local communities have access to essential foods for nutrition and wellbeing.
“We’ve always tried to give back to the community through ad-hoc support, such as donating milk during the floods, so it is great to now be able to make that support more formal through this three-year partnership with Shepparton Foodshare,” he said.
“It is an initiative Noumi and the local farmers we support can be really proud of – knowing that we’re supplying nutritious milk products to students and families in need.”
The partnership goes beyond milk products to provide regular monetary donations to Shepparton Foodshare, and Mr Perich said that Noumi staff members would also be encouraged to volunteer their time to the organisation.
It is great news for Shepparton Foodshare, who has experienced the greatest need this year since its inception. Shepparton Foodshare chair Jeremy Rensford also noted that long-life milk donations are one of the items that the organisation struggles to get their hands on.
“Long-life milk has always been difficult for us to source. We are thrilled that Noumi is generously offering regular donations of this much needed food item.
“The need for food has grown as an alarming rate. The past year saw our largest annual distribution of food since our service began. This support from Noumi over the next three years will contribute to keeping up with this demand,” he said.
The partnership’s impact extends to beneficiaries like Gowrie Street Primary School, where Shepparton Foodshare’s contributions support a school lunch program for 217 students, staff, and parents experiencing food insecurity.
Lunch program coordinator Chelsie Smith explained how Foodshare’s assistance has transformed the program.
“Our program was born out of a real need – many students were coming to school without lunch or with highly processed foods that impacted their ability to learn,” Ms Smith said.
“With Shepparton Foodshare’s support, we’ve expanded the program and removed the stigma around food insecurity. It’s now a community-driven initiative where everyone comes together to prepare and enjoy meals. The sense of connection it fosters is incredible.”
