LAND has been generously donated to local charity organisation Foodshare, to build their “forever home” and continue their incredible work feeding families in need.
The support has come from local business owners and philanthropists, the Andreadis family, who responded to a call for community assistance last year when Foodshare was notified that they must vacate their Mooroopna warehouse.
Spokesperson for the family, Jim Andreadis, said, “We have been supporters of Foodshare since its inception, so when we heard of its search for a permanent home, it was important for us to respond.”
Jim was a member of the steering committee that established the concept and operating model for Shepparton Foodshare in response to needs identified within the community. His expertise and networks within the fresh produce and grocery sectors have been useful in securing some of the food rescue and donation partners that remain today. Ange Andreadis volunteered packing food boxes during Greater Shepparton’s Covid crisis last year, which put a third of the working population into isolation and saw demand for Foodshare’s services skyrocket to their highest in history.
“Time and time again this great service has demonstrated its importance in our community. We’re really pleased that our support will help enable the service to move to the next level and remain viable,” said Jim.
“Having secured the land, Foodshare was able to use this as leverage to achieve further funding from the community and the Federal Government towards the building.”
Since it commenced in 2012, Shepparton Foodshare has relied on its own fundraising efforts and community support to operate from year to year. This donation of suitable land and the $600,000 funding commitment from the Federal Government recently announced by Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, has given the service hope for a more secure future.
