The new life-saving Automated External Defibrillator donated to FoodShare today by The Personnel Group will provide extra peace of mind for volunteers at our new operations in Wigg Street.

The defibrillator was presented to FoodShare’s Genearl Manager Peter Matthews by The Personnel Group’s Murray Area Manager Anthea Hatherall and Wodonga Client Attraction Officer Tracey Whatley.

“We are very grateful to The Personnel Group for their donation as having access to a defibrillator improves the safety of our valuable volunteers and community members that support and access our services” Mr Matthews said.

The defibrillator will be located at FoodShare’s new premises at 81 Wigg Street, Wodonga, which houses the Community Pantry program to provide food hampers, packed by volunteers for local residents experiencing financial hardship.

“Minutes matter in a cardiac arrest and this defibrillator could better someone’s chances of survival,” Mr Matthews said.

“I hope the defibrillator will never have to be used but having it available means so much to everyone in the FoodShare team as we will be better equipped in the case of an emergency.”

The donation was made possible after fundraising by The Personnel Group staff.

“The Personnel Group has an active Health and Wellbeing program that focuses on mental and physical health and also community participation,” The Personnel Group CEO Tracey Fraser said.

“We also wanted to incorporate a community aspect, as during lockdowns we were not able to participate in our annual community volunteering day.

“So we ran a defibrillator competition, a fundraising challenge where sites raised money in a variety of ways to be able to purchase defibrillator machines for the community.

“Across our organisation staff raised close to $6,000 and this enabled us to donate three defibrillator machines within the community, which were chosen by our sites that raised the most money; Wodonga, Bendigo and Canberra.”

Defibrillators are used to restore a normal heartbeat by sending an electric pulse or shock to the heart when someone suffers a sudden cardiac arrest.

Ambulance Victoria maintains a registry of more than 6500 public defibrillators (AEDs) and will add the new FoodShare defibrillator to that list.

Ambulance Victoria will also provide a defibrillator demonstration and Call Push Shock presentation for FoodShare staff and volunteers.

“For a decade FoodShare has been providing nutritious food and meals across the region to people who would otherwise go hungry,” The Personnel Group Murray Area Manager Anthea Hatherall said.

“FoodShare’s vision and values definitely align with The Personnel Group’s and we are proud to be able to acknowledge that in a meaningful, practical way.”