Shepparton Foodshare’s Make A Meal Of June has just raised $1 million in its 10th anniversary. Pictured are Foodshare chair Cheryl Hammer with fundraising and communications manager Kate Smith, The Woolshed co-owner Angela Mangiameli with their head chef Anthony Keating and co-owner Cam Mangiameli and Shepparton Foodshare executive officer Dee Healey.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
What began as a simple dinner, has now raised more than $1 million in community support in its 10th anniversary.
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Shepparton Foodshare’s Make A Meal Of June was established in 2017, after the organisation found itself without a guaranteed source of operational funding and was relying heavily on grants through the Community Fund Goulburn Valley (now the Greater Shepparton Foundation).
The event brings together businesses, organisations and individuals committed to ensuring local people have access to food when they need it most.
Shepparton Foodshare board chair Cheryl Hammer said the milestone was extraordinary for a regional community.
“To reach $1 million from a community like ours over 10 years is absolutely phenomenal,” Ms Hammer said.
“Every dollar represents someone choosing to support their neighbours, and together those contributions have created a lasting impact.”
The event has evolved considerably over the years, from its early days at Bill + Beat’s in Mooroopna, to The Woolshed @ Emerald Bank, and a reimagined takeaway formula during COVID when meals were delivered to supporters’ homes by volunteers.
Ms Hammer said that pivot during the pandemic was a standout moment for Shepparton Foodshare.
“It showed us how the community was adapting with us as well,” she said.
In the 2025-26 financial year, Shepparton Foodshare distributed 711,000kg of food, equivalent to 1.4 million meals and a 47 per cent increase on the previous year, following two years of roughly 30 per cent growth before that.
Shepparton Foodshare is now seeing new demographics coming forward, including a growing number of people from the region’s multicultural community and new arrivals still finding their feet.
“People who are working are coming forward,” Ms Hammer said.
“Choosing, do they pay the electricity bill or how they can feed the family. That really is a reality.”
Looking ahead, Ms Hammer said the next decade would be about more than just fundraising.
“It’s really important for us to try and get some systems and policies, working with government through our organisations, with lived experience and what’s going on in our communities, to try and make sure those things are working for people,” she said.
The Woolshed owners, Angela and Cam Mangiameli, first partnered with Shepparton Foodshare and the Make A Meal Of June program eight years ago.
They help source and cover the cost of food for the event each year, donating all remaining profits back to Foodshare.
Angela said it was notable that the event kept growing when many other fundraisers were shrinking.
“It’s certainly grown, and its interesting because most fundraisers seem to be shrinking,” she said.
“Ours has been really well received. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
Keeping Foodshare’s doors open means more to the couple than most.
“That an organisation like that can just keeping opening its doors and providing so much relief to all the people that need it,” Angela said.
This year’s event was held in early June and drew a record crowd of 240 people.
For anyone interested in getting involved, through donations or volunteer roles, visit Shepparton Foodshare’s website for more details.
Shepparton Foodshare executive officer Dee Healey and fundraising/communications manager Kate Smith, The Woolshed head chef Anthony Keating with co-owners Cam Mangiameli and Angela Mangiameli and Foodshare chair Cheryl Hammer.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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