This week is National Volunteers Week, so in recognition of the important role they play, the team behind Mars Food & Nutrition Australia's brand, Dolmio, hosted a special spaghetti bolognese lunch for 70 Foodbank volunteers.
Dolmio, owned by Mars Incorporated, has been creating traditional pasta sauces to help Australians prepare meals since 1985.
The lunch was hosted to recognise the important role of volunteers, following Foodbank releasing statistics that showed approximately 210,000 hours of volunteer time – with a value of around $4.9 million – were donated to help fight food insecurity in 2023.
Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, said that volunteers are an integral part of addressing food insecurity as the number of households affected continues to rise, and thanked Dolmio for its support.
“We are grateful to Dolmio for supporting our work for the fourth consecutive year. In addition to celebrating our volunteers they have been producing a dedicated, regular supply of much-needed meal sauces as part of our Collaborative Supply Program.
“As we often have to operate with a ‘Surprise Chain’ of ad hoc donations, these regular and purpose-made donations are vital to ensure we have a consistent supply of household favourites available all year,” Casey said.
According to Volunteering Australia, more than 56 per cent of Australians had participated in volunteering activities in 2022. Volunteering was estimated to have an imputed value of $17.3 billion according to National Accounts.
Mars Food & Nutrition Australia general manager, Bill Heague, said that Dolmio believes the joy of connecting over food should be something that everyone gets to enjoy.
“Sadly, there are an increasing number of Australian’s who are struggling. This means, at the very least, they are reducing the quality, variety, or desirability of their food and at worst, their eating patterns are disrupted.
“Foodbank volunteers play a critical role in helping to make a meaningful difference to food insecurity across Australia.
“We are proud to be working with Foodbank and their dedicated volunteers through the Foodbank Collaborative Supply Program to help deliver 3.2 million meals in 2024 – including jars of Dolmio pasta sauce,” said Heague.
