Each year our Stanhope site gives 50 trailer loads of material to the Stanhope Men's Shed, which gets upcycled into things for the community. The materials we donate would normally be sent to landfill or mulched into woodchip, so for us, it’s not just about supporting the local community, it’s also a good way to reduce our impact on the environment.

We always look for ways to support our community, not just one-offs, but for the long term, and our partnership with the Men’s Shed is a great example of this.

The 2018 St. Patrick’s Day fires were devastating to the farmers and communities in western Victoria, including 60 of Fonterra’s farmers. A review of the situation by Bostocks Creek CFA identified the types of equipment the crew needed to better tackle fires in the future – including a specialised ultra-light vehicle that will make accessing remote and steep areas easier.

In 2019, a new ultra-light tanker joined the Bostocks Creek brigade thanks to a contribution from Fonterra and a grant from the Victorian Government.

We have over 60 farmer partners who were affected by the fires, so when we heard that the brigade was fundraising for a new vehicle to help prevent further tragedies, it only seemed right that Fonterra made a contribution to show our solidarity and support.

Each week, we donate around 225 litres of Woolworths Own brand milk fresh from our Cobden factory to Western District Food Share so they can distribute this via a network of schools, churches and partner welfare agencies to children and families in need in the region.

As a not-for-profit, the Western District Food Share relies largely on local supermarkets to donate fresh produce to make up its hampers.

Milk is a key staple for Australian households – we couldn’t imagine not giving fresh milk to our kids. 

On farmland located on the northern edges of Warrnambool sits the new Merri River School. The special developmental school is not the only new thing the students get to enjoy – they’ve just received 10 new mountain bikes with funding from Fonterra.

The school puts a big emphasis on bike education. Learning how to ride a bike, and do so safely, creates a level of independence for our students, and we're proud to be able to help them with this.