Food and drink that was set to feed footy fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the opening rounds of the 2020 AFL season has been given a new lease on life.
The Melbourne Cricket Club, ground managers of the MCG, have joined forces with EPICURE, the MCG catering partner, and Coca-Cola Amatil to donate the unused products to SecondBite, a leading national food rescue organisation.The products, which include bottled water, fruit juice, soft drinks and snack items, will be distributed throughout Victoria to those in need, at a time when many more people in our community are facing hardship.
Across two days, volunteers from the three organisations have tackled the shelves and fridges of 82 retail outlets throughout the MCG, collecting more than 12,000 units of drinks and food to donate, equating to an approximate retail value of $75,000.
The MCG stands have been left empty following a ban on mass gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a surplus of unused food and drink product. The MCG had stock for food outlets to see the venue through to Round 4 of the AFL Premiership Season, by which stage more than 750,000 people were expected to have passed through the turnstiles.
MCC CEO, Stuart Fox, said he was glad that the product could be put to good use for those doing it tough in the community.
“We had prepared for a big start to the AFL season before the COVID-19 situation unfolded, and so we found ourselves in a situation where we had plenty of the food and drink that fans would usually consume, but no fans,” Mr Fox said.
“Although we would love nothing more than to be in the middle of the AFL season right now, I am pleased that these food and drink product aren’t going to waste.
“Times are tough at the moment – so any sort of support we can provide to those in the community who are struggling, we will.”
SecondBite was established in 2005 by Ian and Simone Carson and has since expanded to include 75 staff members and more than 600 volunteers. The organisation collects surplus food products from across Australia and redistributes it to local charities and non-profits who support people in need in their communities.
SecondBite CEO, Jim Mullan, said the organisation is grateful for the significant donation.
“We are thankful to the MCC, Epicure and Coca-Cola Amatil for their generosity during such a challenging time,” Mr Mullan said.
“In the last year more than five million people in Australia experienced food insecurity at least once throughout the year, that’s a lot people worrying about how they are going to get food on the table.”
“2020 has been a particularly difficult period for food relief agencies – from the droughts, the bushfires and now the COVID-19 pandemic – the economic and financial strain these situations have placed upon people across the country has been devastating.”
This week’s donation is the second made to the charity in a matter of months from the MCG, with an initial donation of $30,000 worth of perishables such as milk, eggs and cheese in March.