CEO CookOff? 2020 postponed

After making the heart-breaking decision to postpone our flagship fundraiser - CEO CookOff – I wanted to share the letter I sent to CEOs and teams. I spent yesterday calling as many people as possible with the news and the response was overwhelming, with everyone asking what they could do to help. My answer was simple. Please keep fundraising as we need it now, more than ever and keep believing in the power of community to change lives.

Dear All,

As you know the CEO CookOff is our single most important fundraising effort of the year. In fact, effort is the key word here – from chefs, CEOs, corporate teams, event managers, logistics, drivers, volunteers and everyone who really cares about what we do and how we do it.

After such a devastating summer, we knew there would be a huge need to provide essential resources and food to support both drought and fire-affected communities and organisations. There is no doubt this will be our most challenging year, as food insecurity is being felt now more than ever in the history of Australia.

The mission of OzHarvest is to ‘Nourish our Country’. Whether that be ensuring people in need are receiving food, or protecting our planet from waste, we have done everything we can to deliver on this promise for over 15 years and we rely on the crucial funds raised from CEO CookOff to help underwrite all that we do. With a huge task ahead of us, we took it on with hope and in true OzHarvest spirit, only to be met with the issue of coronavirus, which has brought unparalleled uncertainty to our world.

OzHarvest exists to empower and nourish those who are most vulnerable within our communities. It is our honour to do so, and has been my life’s work. Our priority is and always will be, the health and wellbeing of the charities we support, as well as our incredible staff and volunteers, food recipients, friends, colleagues, partners and donors.

It is therefore with a heavy, yet pragmatic heart, that we have decided to postpone the 2020 CEO CookOff from Monday March 30 until later in the year, due to the ongoing public health threat from Coronavirus.

This is the first time in nine years that we have not been able to host this magical event for our special guests in March. It was a decision not made lightly. We considered many scenarios and modelled out the risk implications for each one, consulting with those close to the event, as well as experts in this area. Personally, it was an emotional decision to make for both myself and my team who work tirelessly to produce a night for those who are most in need of hope, joy and dignity.

I also want to thank you, and acknowledge, you. Without your wonderful support we cannot continue to deliver our impact and we need your help now more than ever. This is why I have a simple ask - our wonderful friends, colleagues, business leaders and supporters – to please, stay with us and keep up your fundraising going to help us reach our $3million goal. Keep believing in the power of this wonderful community and our combined power to change lives.

 he reality is that the postponement of the CEO CookOff, even for just six months, puts OzHarvest in an extremely vulnerable position. We could find ourselves $2million behind what we need to continue to service individuals, families and charitable organisations, at a time when they need us the most. We do not want to have to restrict deliveries or reduce essential programs while so many Australians are feeling so justifiably concerned for their own health and wellbeing.

Right now is the most critical time I’ve ever known at OzHarvest – demand for our services is rising and the pressure on our own resources is being tested to the max. We urge you to use your networks now and keep March 30th as the goal to hit our fundraising target – the website is live and taking donations, with over $700,000 raised so far. I know we can do it and I thank you for whatever you can do. We love you. We acknowledge you and your own struggles during this time.

Together, we are stronger, and will endure these times. And when the worst is over, we will come together to celebrate with a fantastic event filled with hope, love and recognising the power of our community. 

 As always, with my gratitude, Ronni