As a regular feature Sugden Society News highlights the activities of Wyverns and others supporting various not-for-profit entities. In this edition we feature current parents Ian and Simone Carson who 15 years ago founded SecondBite which now provides millions of meals for needy families Australia wide. 

SecondBite began in 2005 with one couple – Ian and Simone Carson – who decided they could no longer watch good food go to waste while people went hungry. They decided to do something about it. Gathering a committed group of friends, they would visit market stalls in Melbourne at the end of a day, collect surplus food, and drop it to a local charity that ran a food program. In its first year, SecondBite was run by three volunteers in Victoria and moved just over 600 kg of food. Over the years, SecondBite continued to grow from strength to strength, as more people joined the cause.

In 2011, Coles and SecondBite formed a national partnership, which led to a rapid expansion of the organisation’s operational scale and reach – which meant much greater access to food for people in need. Coles continues to be a key supporter of SecondBite, and this partnership alone has produced an equivalent of more than 85 million meals in the last 8 years.

Throughout the bushfires and Covid 19, there has been unprecedented need for food. SecondBite, the Government, corporates and the community have collaborated more than ever before to help. There is still much to do.
The operation is helped by the generous support of more than 600 volunteers, and over 60 staff members around Australia.

The Carson family have had two children at Queen’s, and we are proud to say they remain firm supporters of the College.