New forklift on order for St Vincent de Paul Gympie thanks to 7-Eleven SecondBite FeedMORE grant

St Vincent de Paul Society in Gympie is putting an order in to replace their 10-year-old forklift after receiving the news that they have won a $5,000 7-Eleven SecondBite FeedMORE grant.

St Vincent de Paul Society Gympie’s Lisa Baker says the new forklift will help the organisation’s food division to support more people experiencing food insecurity in the area.

“The 7-Eleven SecondBite FeedMORE Grant will allow us to purchase as new forklift. Ours is 10 years old and while it is much loved, it is in continual disrepair. The new forklift will allow us to purchase and accept pallets with more stock, which will help us to support more people in need," Ms Baker said.

“We support the homeless, those at risk of being homeless and families and individuals in crisis. In 2019 we supported more than 16,000 clients through our team of 28 volunteers. We provide support for people from Gympie and nearby areas such as Hervey Bay and Childers. More than 3,800 people received essential meal packages in 2019, and 12 school breakfast programs were supported, and 3,200 hampers were provided to families in need.”

7-Eleven Australia Managing Director, Angus McKay said that the grants are funded through the donations of the 7-Eleven corporate team.

“As part of the Good Cause program, our corporate team members can donate from their regular salary to support their selected Good Cause partner charities. 7-Eleven matches every dollar donated and these funds are allocated to the 7-Eleven Secondbite FeedMORE Grants. These grants give the organisations the financial support they need to expand or grow, which might not otherwise have been possible within their standard operating budgets. I’m very pleased this grant will fund a new forklift for the St Vincent de Paul in Gympie so they can work safely and efficiently to manage more food supplies for those in need,” Mr McKay said.

The grants are a part of a broader partnership between 7-Eleven and SecondBite.

“We have been working with food rescue organisation SecondBite since 2018, supporting their work to end hunger by reducing waste through the 7-Eleven Good Cause program. We provide substantial funding to support their work and our corporate team members participate in both skilled and general volunteering. Our team have jumped at the chance to put their hands in their own pockets in addition to our corporate funding. Members of the corporate team also donate their time to work inside SecondBite’s warehouse sorting produce. Everyone in the team who has volunteered and donated has really enjoyed the chance to give back. As a business, we are incredibly proud to support the work that SecondBite and their partner organisations do in the community which has never been more necessary,” he said.

SecondBite CEO, Jim Mullan said the grants allow the recipients to fund key infrastructure or new programs.

“Assisting the expansion of our agencies with 7-Eleven’s generous workplace giving program elevates the efficiency of their food programs and, in turn, increases the number of people that can be supported who are experiencing food insecurity,” Mr Mullan said.