At the bustling Foodbank distribution centre in Sydney, volunteers from Corteva Agriscience recently joined charity workers to pick, pack and sort essential food items destined for Australians facing food insecurity.
The day’s work was one part of Corteva’s ongoing drive to support not-for-profit organisations rising to the challenge of delivering health and wellbeing across the country.
Each year, Corteva employees contribute time and energy to a range of grassroots charities, with additional financial support to organisations which are the backbone of their communities.
For communications and sustainability lead, Karen Deane, volunteering offers a chance to step away from the office and into the operational heart of food relief, helping at Foodbank in Sydney by packing Christmas hampers, picking orders or sorting donations.
“This year, our team helped with Food Rescue, moving almost 14 tonnes of food, enough to create approximately 23,135 meals for individuals and families doing it tough at this time of year,” Karen says.
“It’s important to us to do our bit for this wonderful cause and it is a bonding experience for our team.
“We’re lifting boxes together and helping each other, so it’s quite physical and a good workout for those of us who are usually in an office environment,” she adds.
Statistics from Foodbank’s Hunger Report 2025 show the need is growing. One in three households (3.5 million homes) are struggling to put a meal on the table.
Nearly one in two rental households report as food unsure; almost seven in 10 (67 per cent) households which have a person with a disability or health issue now experience food insecurity; and a similar proportion of single-parent households (68 per cent) are now food insecure.
“These are scary statistics when it’s happening on your doorstep, but they enable us to understand, empathise and sympathise with what people are going through,” Karen says.
“Corteva Agriscience also provides support and funding through a non-profit partner called GlobalGiving, and this year the company successfully applied for $15,000 in funds for Foodbank.
“Foodbank is struggling to get enough donations these days, so our little bit does help.”
Community give-back hours
The health and wellbeing of communities is at the heart of Corteva’s Global Community Investment Purpose Pillars, which have a threefold aim: to support programs which ensure access to food and nutrition, to educate youth and build a diverse agricultural workforce for the future, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where the company works.
It makes volunteering a part of work life at Corteva Agriscience with employees receiving community give-back hours every year and many using them to volunteer at their local fire brigade or sporting clubs.
Supporting Active Farmers
Corteva also contributes financial support to programs such as Active Farmers, to keep people in farming communities mentally and physically healthy.
Corteva’s sponsorship of Active Farmers for the past eight years has helped to boost rural health awareness and provided valuable volunteering opportunities for staff.
Active Farmers provides group fitness classes led by local, qualified trainers in 42 regional communities throughout Australia, to enhance physical and mental wellbeing.
Karen says Corteva employees have been enthusiastic participants in events including the Active Farmers’ Games, Run For Resilience, and Ride for Resilience.
“We like to physically attend and sometimes we take our kids to the events too,” she says.
“It’s not always taking part in the actual running or riding event. We might man the water or refuelling stations or help with food. It’s whatever we can do to lend a hand.”
Combining sponsorship triples the impact
Corteva aims to combine its sponsorship efforts, where possible, for greater effect.
“For the Active Farmers’ Games at Coleambally in the Riverina of NSW, we invited another organisation we sponsor, the Melanoma and Skin Care Awareness Network (MSCAN), to offer free skin checks,” Karen explains.
“It was a bit challenging for some people who were caked in mud after competing, but just having access to MSCAN dermatologists in a remote area was a bonus for the Coleambally community, because normally they’d have to travel a long way to see a skin specialist.”
Corteva Agriscience recently became a sponsor of the Fat Farmers Rural Health Initiative in South Australia, and now that it’s joined forces with Active Farmers, they’ll continue to promote physical activity, mental health support, and social connection opportunities through the merged organisation.
One trusted organisation supporting another
Fat Farmers Rural Health Initiative chief executive Richard Sheppy says the sponsorship makes a big difference.
“As a not-for-profit, we are always looking to align with organisations which have similar values to us,” Richard says.
“Corteva Agriscience operates in the rural space where we are a grassroots organisation, so it’s really a case of one trusted organisation supporting another.”
Richard says with Active Farmers and Fat Farmers starting around the same time and with similar values and vision, the merger effectively doubled the reach for increased impact while removing duplication.
“Rural not-for-profit is a tough space to be in,” he says.
“We’re all chasing the same sponsorship, whether it’s corporate, grants or government, but I’d like to think we can demonstrate that a collaborative model trumps a competitive model.
“In our sponsors, we look for a common vision and the awareness of how important it is to support the communities that we operate in, and Corteva fits that bill very well.”
Karen says helping regional communities in Australia is especially important given the geographic isolation many experience.
“Our rural and regional areas are so remote the sheer size of the country means people can be living a long way from basic health services, “she says.
“One of our company values is to enrich lives, and helping these communities to flourish is close to Corteva’s heart.”
