Foodbank Victoria CEO

SESSION OVERVIEW

Hear from Foodbank Victoria CEO, Dave McNamara has he provides an overview of Foodbank Victoria Programs.

Dave is a socially minded former chef whose passion for food has taken him from working in some of Melbourne’s most well-known restaurants to leading the largest food relief charity in Victoria. After many years working in the not-for-profit sector, Dave was appointed as Foodbank Victoria CEO in July 2013, bringing with him a lifetime love of food and drive to change the injustice of food insecurity that many people in Victoria face. 

In 2014, Dave successfully advocated for government support to provide healthy school breakfasts to vulnerable children. Since the School Breakfast Clubs program launched in 2016, over 40 million meals have been served across 1,000 Victorian schools in partnership with the State Government. The program includes lunch provisions, a holiday food supply backpack initiative, and a literacy program teaching students and their families to cook nutritious meals. 

During the last three years of tumultuous change, Dave has established ambitious and innovative food programs to reach our most vulnerable communities where they live. Programs such as Farms to Families, which provides fresh produce to disadvantaged communities through monthly markets, particularly in regional Victoria.