“As a CEO and father, I abhor the idea that anyone doesn’t have the security of a safe place to sleep, or the comfort of knowing where their next meal will come from.” – Jonatan Callaghan, CEO Investa Office Management (pictured above at the CEO Cook Off)
Purpose of the project
As an owner/manager of office towers around the country, Investa is acutely aware of the homelessness in Australian cities. Whilst Investa’s existing philanthropic work had focused on getting youth of the streets, through partnerships with the Sir David Martin Foundation and the Property Industry Foundation, a decision was made to extend Investa’s charitable work to include the estimated that three million Australians who experience some degree of food insecurity.
Oz Harvest, was identified as Australia’s leading food rescue organisation orchestrating the delivery of food to over 900 charities across Australia. Oz Harvest collects unwanted food supplies from retailers across the country and delivers it to charities which provide meals for the food insecure. Amongst other activities, Oz Harvest hosts an annual CEO Cook Off to raise awareness and much needed funds
Approach
The OzHarvest CEO Cook Off took place in Sydney on Monday, 6 March 2017, bringing together CEOs, Managing Directors, Senior Business Leaders, top chefs and leading companies to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable people across Australia. Investa Office CEO Jonathan Callaghan was one of 125 CEOs to participate in the event, feeding over 1,000 vulnerable Australians.
At the CEO CookOff, Jonathan was paired with celebrated Australian chef Frederico Zanellato of top restaurant Lumi Dining. The team prepared a meal and served it to the event’s wonderful guests – the vulnerable men and women who are members of the OzHarvest family.
Investa’s approach to the charitable event was to leverage the extensive Investa family network to support the Oz Harvest mission. The alignment of their mission, and Investa’s commitment to reducing homelessness in CBD’s across the country enable both parties to support a shared value approach.
Implementation
The event had a substantial impact on the wider business, with several General Managers identifying future partnership opportunities to scale the shared value approach to create real change on the monumental challenge of food insecurity. As an example, the property management team at 135 King St, a prime Investa asset in the Sydney market, has committed to partnering with Oz Harvest for all future tenant events where food is served. Spreading the message beyond Investa employees and ensuring a wider impact across the broader CBD community.
Results
Over $15,000 was raised, greatly exceeding the fundraising target of $10,000 and equating to 31,232 meals Oz Harvest will be able to provide to vulnerable Australians.
For more information on OzHarvest and their annual CEO cook off, please visit the OzHarvest website.
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