FareShare and SecondBite have long recognised the complementary nature of their organisations. The merger is being driven by an ambition to support more people in need. 

In initiating the merger, the Boards of both organisations identified strong mission and operational alignment. They believe that combining the community-led culture of FareShare with the supply chain nous of SecondBite will create a transformative, all-encompassing solution for providing nutritious food to communities who need it most.

The vision is – that every Australian has access to nutritious food – no matter their location or situation. And our purpose is that we partner with communities to provide free, healthy food and nutritious cooked meals that help Australians thrive .

There are many significant benefits, including:  

• a merged entity would be able to better advocate for effective food relief, and better represent the voice of communities who need it
• a greater volume of food – and a greater diversity of food options will be able to be provided to communities through economies of scale and supply chain optimisation 
• provision of a greater distribution of culturally-appropriate, healthy food and meals to areas that are geographically isolated, have greater need or are currently not being serviced
• a focus on the creation of a needs-led system of food relief that currently does not exist in Australia, with communities able to have their nutritional and cultural needs catered for, including a medically tailored program currently being piloted by FareShare 

The organisation will continue to operate under two names and brands: FareShare mobilising volunteers to cook tens of thousands of meals a week in its Melbourne and Brisbane kitchens and SecondBite collecting donations of surplus food from farms, supermarkets and businesses to meet the needs of frontline services and stopping quality food going to waste. At a board level, the combined entity will be managed under the SecondBite name though with equal representation from the FareShare and SecondBite Board.

By mutual agreement, Daniel Moorfield (SecondBite) will become Chief Executive Officer of the new entity.  

Both Marcus Godinho and Kellie Watson are moving on, effective as of 1 July. Fiona Maxwell will remain on the Leadership Team of the new entity, and take on the role of Director of Innovation and Community, FareShare. 

The merged organisation will be a much larger enterprise. Before finishing up Kellie and Marcus worked with the FareShare executive team to do everything possible to prepare for the merger and believe FareShare is in a stronger position and doing more exciting work than ever – a testament to the calibre and commitment of staff and volunteers. 

There are no plans for staff redundancies. The merger is about growth and expansion. The aim is to create opportunities to support even more communities in need, not about cost cutting.

For the majority of staff, their positions will remain exactly as they are now. For some staff – primarily those in support functions – there may be some duplication, however, this will be worked through at an individual team member level. There are no plans for staff redundancies as a result of the merger. 

There will be no salary reductions, and existing arrangements around leave will not be reduced. Where there is no change to a position, staff salaries will not change. All salaries will be reviewed within the first three months of the formal merge date to ensure they are consistent across both organisations.

Staff whose positions may be revised will have their salaries reviewed to ensure they are commensurate with their revised position description and responsibilities – but there will be no salary reductions. 

Staff located in the SecondBite Support Office will work from Heidelberg West until moving to the new FareShare office in Abbotsford from July 1, unless otherwise arranged by consultation by specific team members. Hybrid working arrangements will still apply and seating arrangements will be determined prior to July 1. 

Optimising logistics opportunities between FareShare kitchens and SecondBite warehouses will be increased to benefit both organisations. For example, a review of food sourcing will commence within three months of merging. FareShare and SecondBite vehicle fleets will be combined. 

Additionally, FareShare staff will have their pay cycle altered to fortnightly, rather than monthly. This change will occur in the 6-12 months following the merger. More information will become available about this asap.

SecondBite offers additional leave types over and above the minimum requirements required by law. These will automatically apply to FareShare staff from 1 July. They include a Thank You Day at Christmas, a Significance Day, Covid Paid Leave, Paid Parental leave, Early Screening Leave, Flexible Public Holidays and an extra three days Compassionate Leave. More information will be shared in the coming months. 

Yes there will. FareShare employees will be moving to join SecondBite employees with Advantage Salary Packaging. Advantage offers novated leases as well as alternative methods to how you can receive your salary packaging. The move to Advantage Salary Packaging will occur with the move to fortnightly pays. 

The current FareShare Board Chair, David Harris and SecondBite Board Chair, Joel Mahemoff, will be appointed Co-Chairs of the new entity. A transitional Board will be appointed from August 1, consisting of four members of the current FareShare Board and four members of the SecondBite Board, plus one Coles’ appointed Board Director.  

Following these appointments, a Board skills and diversity matrix will be developed to ensure the newly appointed Board possesses the governance expertise and skills required to lead the entity towards ongoing sustainability.  

Volunteers are critical to our success and a valued part of our community. There will be no change to volunteering programs in the short term. Longer term, we will look to ensure we have volunteer support in the areas of the organisation that need it most.  

Current corporate partners, philanthropic partner and individual donors for both FareShare and SecondBite will continue to be aligned with the organisation and projects, with which they currently partner.

Coles is supportive of, and excited about, the merger. It has been factored into the next five-year agreement which has been signed by both SecondBite and Coles. 

Woolworths is supportive of, and excited about, the merger, and will continue to provide FareShare with both rescued food, and funds. 

Food donors will continue to donate to either FareShare or SecondBite for the time being.  

Charity Partners will continue to receive food from either FareShare or SecondBite. A combined entity would be able to provide a greater distribution of culturally-specific, healthy food and meals to areas that are geographically isolated, have greater need or are currently not being serviced.

All programs associated with each organisation will remain the same. The new entity will retain a commitment to the existing programs and cohorts they support and will look to expand upon these, not reduce them. 

There will be no changes to the FareShare RAP. SecondBite will take learnings from the RAP that FareShare currently has in place and will look to implement its own RAP in the future.  

There will be no change to building assets in the short term. However, longer term, we will look to review the entire suite of assets to ensure we are operating in a manner that is efficient and has the greatest impact. There may be some consolidation of assets, but expansion is also likely, particularly in states where FareShare does not currently operate. 

All finances will be merged into the SecondBite financial system from July 1.  

A review of Salesforce systems will also be undertaken within the first three months, and formal collateral and email signatures for all staff will include both the FareShare and SecondBite logo lock up from July 1. 

A combined revenue and expenses budget will be in existence from July 1. Delegations of Authority will be reviewed and potentially amended in the first six months of the merger. 

All programs and products associated with each organisation will remain the same, and donors/partners can continue to support the organisation they most strongly align with. Over time, we will look to provide opportunities for donors that support the purpose of the combined entity. 

All social media channels and the FareShare and SecondBite websites will remain the same. Consistent messaging about the merger will appear on both sites and channels.

Daniel Moorfield will send out regular updates as the merger progresses. Information and copies of updates will be printed and pinned up in lunchrooms at all locations. 

Between now and July 1, members of the Leadership Team will be visiting all sites across both organisations and will take the time to listen and learn from staff about how both organisations operate and to help address any concerns that may arise.  

Should you have a specific question that has not been addressed, please escalate it to your Manager who can liaise with a member of the Leadership Team.  

A Microsoft Form has also been established where staff and volunteers can submit any questions they may have. This can be done anonymously, if preferred. The link to the form is here: https://bit.ly/FSSBQuestions