Coles Liquor is supporting food rescue charity SecondBite to help provide a little festive cheer to Aussies doing it tough this Christmas.

More than 9000 Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market or Vintage Cellars stores are collecting customer donations until December 12. A donation of just $2 enables SecondBite to put the equivalent of 10 meals on the table for Australians in need, many of whom have been forced to forgo meals just to keep paying essential bills during the pandemic.

“The generosity of our customers and the hard work of our team members in Coles Liquor Group has delivered the equivalent of almost 34 million meals to needy Australians over the past seven years,” Coles Liquor General Manager Operations, Steve Hugginson said.

“We are so proud of this partnership with SecondBite, which taps into the extraordinary efforts of local charities across the country and powerfully connects with our company-wide ambition of Together to Zero hunger. When customers make a donation to our Christmas Appeal they make a genuine difference, with 100% of all proceeds going directly to SecondBite.”

SecondBite research indicates that for a growing number of Australians, the cost burden of the season adds pressure on already over-stretched budgets. The charity has reported a significant rise in the number of people seeking food support since the beginning of the pandemic, with 73% of community organisations experiencing stronger demand
compared to the same time last year.

SecondBite Chief Executive Steve Clifford said demand for food relief was expected to remain high as employment numbers gradually recovered from the impact of lockdowns and the closure of parts of the economy.

“Giving is at the heart of almost all our Christmas traditions and this is reflected in the generosity of
Australians during the festive season,” Clifford said.

Co-founded by husband and wife team Ian and Simone Carson in 2005, SecondBite first partnered with Coles in 2011 to rescue unsold food and work with its community organisations to transform excess produce and pantry items into meals and food relief hampers.

The partnership was further strengthened in 2014 when Coles Liquor came on board to raise funds to ensure SecondBite could work with local not-for-profit groups to distribute meals and food across Australia.

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