Coles Liquor customers have raised a record $823,000 for national food rescue charity SecondBite to help provide the equivalent of 4.1 million meals for vulnerable Australians.
The 2020 Coles Liquor Winter Appeal was the biggest single community fundraising campaign held by Coles Liquor and takes the total funds raised by its Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor stores for SecondBite to $5.1 million since 2014.
The Coles Liquor Winter Appeal was launched in early August following a run of record-breaking national fundraising campaigns held across Coles supermarkets since Covid-19 restrictions were introduced in Australia.
With the $823,000 raised for SecondBite by Coles Liquor in the latest Winter Appeal, Coles customers and team members have together raised more than $8.1 million for SecondBite, FightMND, Bravery Trust and children's hospitals since April 20201.
SecondBite CEO Jim Mullan said he was amazed and grateful for the results from this year's Coles Liquor Winter Appeal.
"The fundraising effort by Coles Liquor team members and customers has been extraordinary, particularly in light of the current economic challenges," he said.
"Like all not-for-profit agencies, 2020 has been an extremely difficult time and we have seen an increase in demand for support from a cohort of people who we usually don't see under normal circumstances, such as international students, visa holders and recently unemployed people living in regional and rural areas."
"The fundraising from Coles Liquor will help SecondBite support people who have previously never needed our help but may need it over coming months and potentially years as we ease off Jobseeker and Jobkeeper payments."
Coles Liquor Chief Executive Darren Blackhurst said he was incredibly proud of the Coles Liquor team's fundraising efforts.
"We didn't know what to expect given the extenuating circumstances during COVID-19 but thanks to the generosity of our customers, we have reached new heights in our fundraising for SecondBite this year. The $823,000 raised is a testament to the resilience and community spirit of our team members and customers," he said.
"SecondBite's role in the community embodies Coles' purpose to sustainably feed all Australians. It is wonderful to see our Liquor team play their part to support this vision and to help those less fortunate."
In addition to fundraising appeals for SecondBite, more than 765 Coles supermarkets across Australia regularly donate surplus fresh food via SecondBite to around 1,100 community food programs that provide meals to Australians facing tough times. During Covid-19, Coles has also donated grocery essentials to the retail value of $7.9 million to SecondBite and Foodbank to distribute to vulnerable Australians.
Since 2011, Coles has helped donate enough surplus fresh food to SecondBite to provide the equivalent of 114 million meals to disadvantaged Australians.
