News Archive

UWA Business School

PERTH, Australia, 21 June 2010
A group of university students have just raised over 8000 non-perishable goods for the hungry and homeless of Western Australian with the help of Thornlie Supa IGA.
Earlier this year, the Students In Free Enterprise at the University of Western Australia (SIFE UWA) committed to alleviating hunger and eliminating its social stigma in the community by accepting the Let's Can Hunger Challenge.

"A lot of people are unaware that hunger is an issue in Australia, but the reality is that 2.4 million Australians do not have enough money for basic needs, including food," says Catherine, UWA Student and Let's Can Hunger Project Leader.

"Over 4000 people die every year, whose deaths are directly attributed to poor diet. 10% of West Australians die 10 years early."

SIFE UWA Students placed collection bins and money tins at 20 locations across the metropolitan area to pull together food cans and cash to donate to the Foodbank WA for mass distribution. This included supermarkets, cafes, universities, schools, laundromats and boutiques.

Their goal was to raise 5000 non-perishable items in 6 months, which the team have comfortably achieved.

"Integral to reaching our goal was Thornlie Supa IGA. This would not have been possible without the support of the store and indeed all the contributions made by supporting businesses and individuals," Catherine said.

"Thornlie Supa IGA not only matched our cash and food collections but also allowed us to convert the funds we raised into products at cost."

SIFE UWA hopes to provide nutritious meals to over 5000 Western Australians with the donated goods ranging across all the five core food groups: carbohydrates, protein, dairy, fruits and vegetables.

Catherine is certain that SIFE UWA will see an end to hunger.

"On any given day in Australia, over 1 million children do not get enough to eat and almost as many adults suffer from hunger. We want to change that and I am sure we can."

The Let's Can Hunger Challenge is an initiative sponsored by the Campbell's Soup Company which is being run in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia.

Foodbank WA distributes to over 600 registered charitable and welfare agencies throughout the state.

For more information, please contact Catherine on 0415 519 893.