Food relief for North Perth

PICTURED: Rotary Club of North Perth members Geoff White, left, and Geoff Cornell collecting food during one of the club’s community Foodbank drives.

The Rotary Club of North Perth, WA, has collected more than 16 tonnes of food through its growing series of community Foodbank drives, helping support families in need across Perth.

What began as a simple observation during Bruno Fic’s term as Assistant Governor has grown into one of the Rotary Club of North Perth’s most successful and visible community initiatives, with the club now delivering six Foodbank drives each year and collecting more than 16 tonnes of food for Western Australians in need.

Bruno said the idea first emerged several years ago when he discovered another Rotary club conducting annual Foodbank collections at a local shopping centre in the lead-up to Christmas.

“I thought it was something our club could really get behind, particularly because we had a number of shopping centres in our own area,” Bruno said.

After presenting the concept to members, the club embraced the initiative enthusiastically, recognising both the practical community benefit and the opportunity to strengthen Rotary’s visibility.

The first two Foodbank drives were held three and a half years ago at Flinders Square and Dog Swamp shopping centres in Yokine, WA. The events proved immediately successful, prompting the club to expand the program beyond its original Christmas focus.

Initially, the club conducted four drives each year, timed around Christmas and Easter. The success of the program has since seen it expand to six annual collections, including additional mid-winter drives to support growing demand for food relief.

The club’s two most recent drives, held on 21 and 28 March, collected 1,129 kilograms of non-perishable food at Flinders Square and 1,218 kilograms at Dog Swamp.

“Since we started, we’ve completed 20 Foodbank drives and collected a total of 16,582 kilograms of food,” Bruno said. “It’s something the whole club is very proud of.”

Beyond the impressive volume of donations, Bruno said one of the greatest strengths of the initiative has been the strong involvement of club members.

“The good part about these Foodbank drives is that all our members get involved,” he said. “Everyone takes part over the two days through a roster system, helping for a couple of hours each.”

The drives are also relatively inexpensive to run, relying on simple promotional materials, volunteer support and collection boxes supplied by Foodbank.

“We have some flyers printed, we use our Rotary banner, and Foodbank provides the boxes,” Bruno said. “After the Saturday drives, we take the full boxes back to Foodbank on the Monday.”

The initiative has also strengthened the club’s connection with the wider community, providing a visible and practical demonstration of Rotary’s commitment to local service. Shoppers regularly stop to donate essential pantry items, while members engage directly with residents about both the Foodbank program and Rotary’s broader work.

As cost-of-living pressures continue to affect families across Australia, the Rotary Club of North Perth’s ongoing commitment is helping ensure vital food relief reaches those who need it most.