Coles and Woolworths donate to bushfire victims

Chooks for champions: Supermarkets donate huge hauls of free cooked chickens to firefighters and bushfire-hit towns – and Coles sends fruit and vegetables to animals at Mogo Zoo

  • Woolworths has delivered 132 pallets to south coast evacuation centres
  • Coles has worked with charity Foodbank to deliver 28 pallets to centres 
  • Supermarket has also donated four pallets to feed animals Mogo Zoo

Coles and Woolworths have donated truckloads of food, water and essential supplies to bushfire victims – and their relief operation is set to increase.

Since Sunday, Woolworths has delivered 132 pallets to south coast evacuation centres in Bega, Merimbula and Batemans Bay.

The deliveries include bottled water as well as non-perishable food such as baked beans. 

A convoy of Coles trucks is pictured heading south on the Pacific Highway on January 5 

Zoo director Chad Staples (pictured), who took red pandas and small monkeys home on New Year's Eve to save them from the smoke, thanked Coles on Tuesday morning

Zoo director Chad Staples (pictured), who took red pandas and small monkeys home on New Year’s Eve to save them from the smoke, thanked Coles on Tuesday morning

Coles has worked with charity Foodbank to deliver 28 pallets to centres in Cobargo, Bega and Bermagui.

The supermarket has also donated four pallets of fruit and vegetables to feed animals Mogo Zoo, which is just 7km from a firefront.

Zoo director Chad Staples, who took red pandas and small monkeys home on New Year’s Eve to save them from the smoke, thanked Coles on Tuesday morning.

‘Coles did a delivery for us with fresh fruit and vegetables,’ he said on the Today Show. 

Meanwhile, Coles staff at the Batemans Bay store baked roast chickens and loaves of bread to feed firefighters and people who had to leave their homes, reported the AFR.

Coles regional manager for the south coast, John Appleby, said the relief effort was huge. 

‘We were baking over 24 hours for emergency services, the evacuation centre, and customers on Sunday when it became safe to open the store after the danger warning on Saturday,’ he said.

‘We baked 14,000 loaves of bread, which is 167,000 slices.’

Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci said the relief effort is just beginning.

Pictured: Animals at Mogo Zoo enjoy the vegetables delivered by Coles

Pictured: Animals at Mogo Zoo enjoy the vegetables delivered by Coles

‘It is not possible to do enough to help these communities. It’s still early in the fire season and there’s still a lot to do,’ he said.   

In terms of cash, Woolworths has donated $1million to the Salvation Army bushfire appeal. 

In December Coles donated more than $3million in gift cards to over 6,000 rural fire brigades across Australia. 

Coles Group Chief Executive Steven Cain said: ‘We want to acknowledge the amazing courage and dedication of volunteer firefighters who continually put their hand up to protect their communities at all times of the year. 

‘With a long, hot summer ahead of us, we wanted to show our appreciation of the enormous contribution these firefighters have already made and will continue to make. We are so grateful for their bravery and commitment.’ 

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