Aussie pies donated to feed hungry this winter

Patties Foods is donating a full-day’s production of its iconic Four’N Twenty pies - that’s 138,000 pies - to Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation, Foodbank.

More than 70 staff and management are volunteering their time to produce the pies for Foodbank at Patties Foods’ state-of-the-art bakery at Bairnsdale, in Victoria’s East, on Saturday 18 June. All Patties Foods’ suppliers, from ingredients through to packaging and transport nationally, have donated their materials and services for the production run, free of charge.

Foodbank Australia CEO, John Webster, said the collaboration by Patties Foods and its suppliers to donate 60 pallets of Four’N Twenty meat pies, with a retail value of over $250,000, will fill a big gap in Foodbank’s ability to feed the nation’s hungry this winter.

“Four’N Twenty pies are an iconic food that are not only much loved, but also provide high protein content.

“This is a huge boost to Foodbank’s ability to feed the hungry, and we commend Patties Foods and its suppliers for their generous support.

“There are going to be a lot of very happy faces when they see Four’N Twenty pies on the Foodbank menu,” Webster said.

The MD of Patties Foods, Greg Bourke, said his production staff and management team were enthusiastic supporters of Foodbank, and all suppliers had been quick to jump on board to ensure there would be no cost to Foodbank.

“It’s tragic to think of any child or adult going hungry in Australia, and we are delighted to do our bit to help fight hunger. Foodbank is a great cause and rightly deserves the support of all sectors of the Australian food industry.

“We are hoping to make this volunteer production day for Foodbank an annual event on Patties Foods’ calendar, continuing the legacy of the company’s founding shareholders, the Rijs family, in giving to and sharing with the community,” Bourke said.

The following organisations have donated materials and services to support Patties Foods in the production, packaging and national delivery of 138,000 Four’N Twenty pies for Foodbank: Allied Mills; Agri Food Ingredients; Amcor Fibre Packaging; Ben Furney Flour Mills; Bonaccord Quality Produce Pty Ltd; Cargill Beef Australia; Cargill Food Ingredients; Central Meat Exports; Cheetham Salt Ltd; Corona Manufacturing Pty Ltd; Detmold Flexibles Pty Ltd; Food Add Pty Ltd; Peerless Holdings Pty Ltd; Montagues Cold Storage; Office National; Dyers Gippsland Transport; ICD Transport - NSW; Rand Transport - Queensland & Western Australia; Gourley’s Transport - Victoria; Don Watson Transport - South Australia and Toll Refrigerated (Edwards) - Tasmania.