Explore the incredible role Community Partnership Officers play in getting nutritious food to those who need it most
Community Partnership Officers (CPO) from SecondBite play a vital part in helping our charity partners better support people experiencing food insecurity.
Sandy Jeans has been a CPO in Western Australia for more than two years. In her role, she helps our charity partners get nutritious food directly to local communities where it’s needed most. To do so, Sandy liaises with hundreds of charity partners and Coles stores.
Among the hundreds of charities Sandy helps distribute food to across WA are daycare centres, primary schools, church groups with pantry days, and domestic violence survivor charities.
“SecondBite is about food when people really need it. But it’s so much more. It’s a lifeline in their most challenging moments.”
Sandy loves the human connection element of what she does and stresses the importance of collaboration in achieving the best results.
“I try to visit the Coles stores and charities often to build relationships. The way I see it, it’s human nature to give to people you know and like, right? Getting the stores and charities on the same page helps that. It also might make a store manager think of these charities for other things.”
Connecting supermarkets and charity partners is no easy feat in such an expansive state.
“A lot of driving. I know this state like the back of my hand now! But I wouldn’t change anything. I love helping our charity partners access more food.”
The food she helps distribute will assist regional areas with little access to affordable food, such as the town of Esperance, an 8-hour drive from Perth.
Sandy proudly recounts how SecondBite put Esperance Care Services forward for a $20k Aurizon grant. The grant was successful, which enabled SecondBite and Coles to deliver vital food to the regional town.
Before joining SecondBite, Sandy had a long career working in media and ad agencies. It was here she honed her knack for interacting with people. A few years ago, Sandy had a year off due to illness. This gave her time to reassess her options.
“I resolved to get back into something, and my recent fundraising efforts for Royal Lifesaving had made me think about giving back a little bit. I realised I could utilise the skills I’d developed without having to add some sales-y – ‘would you like to buy a fridge’ – spin at the end.
“This role at SecondBite also gave me the opportunity to work with great people, for an organisation that’s doing the right thing.”
Sandy is now looking forward to the new WA SecondBite warehouse that is scheduled to be completed next year. This will allow Sandy and the rest of the SecondBite WA team to improve their processes, get more produce through, and thereby get more food to where it’s needed most.
Excitingly, there will also be a FareShare kitchen as part of the new facility, enabling chefs and volunteers to work hand-in-hand to cook free, nutritious meals for people doing it tough right now across Western Australia.
“The new modern warehouse and FareShare kitchen facility will greatly help us provide nutritious food AND meals to people across Western Australia,” affirms Sandy. “I can’t wait.”
In the meantime, Sandy has plenty of Coles stores and charity partners to keep her busy, as she works tirelessly to ensure that fresh, nutritious food gets to people who need it most.