“We believe in the power of fresh, clean food to support families. Partnering with The One Box helps us get fresh food to more kids and families across Australia.”
— Steven Marks, Founder and Co-CEO, Guzman y Gomez

Guzman y Gomez Partners with The One Box

A new partnership between Guzman y Gomez and The One Box will help provide consistent fresh food support to families experiencing hardship across Australia for the next 12 months.

Guzman y Gomez will contribute $200,000 to support 25 school communities across Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. It provides greater certainty for 18 schools already participating in The One Box and enables seven new schools to join the program.

For those new school communities, the partnership means families who have been waiting for support can begin receiving a weekly box of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the school year.

Fresh Food Is the Starting Point

Fresh food is delivered through trusted school communities, giving families a practical form of support in a place they already frequent. Over time, those regular connections can help schools build stronger relationships with families and create pathways to other support.

That can include:

• financial counselling referrals
• housing and employment support
• mental health referrals
• stronger engagement with schools
• healthier children and more stable families
• pathways towards greater independence

Independent research by Monash Business School’s Department of Accounting 2024 found that consistent fresh food support from The One Box can reduce financial pressure, with perceived savings averaging $30.42 per week, while strengthening connections between families and schools and creating pathways to broader support.

Fresh Food Delivered Weekly, Not Occasionally

The partnership helps fund weekly deliveries for every week of the school year, for a full 12 months. And that consistency is the point.

A single box helps for a week. A box that arrives every week becomes something a family can plan around. It also creates regular opportunities for school wellbeing teams to connect with parents and carers who may otherwise be hesitant to seek support.

Over time, that consistency can build trust, open doors to other services and help families move towards greater stability and independence.

Why Guzman y Gomez and The One Box?

Two food organisations, one shared belief: everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food.

Guzman y Gomez built an international business on clean, fresh food, families and local communities. The One Box is a charity delivering fresh food to families through more than 100 school partners nationally.

The 25 participating schools now supported by GYG are located near the restaurants, creating an opportunity for local teams to connect with and support communities close to where they live and work.

“We believe in the power of fresh, clean food to support families. Partnering with The One Box helps us get fresh food to more kids and families across Australia.”
— Steven Marks, Founder and Co-CEO, Guzman y Gomez

“This partnership gives more families the certainty of fresh food each week, while strengthening connections between schools, local GYG restaurants and their communities.”
— Emily Wild, Program Manager, The One Box

 

How Does Every Dollar Stretch Twice as Far?

The One Box draws on the established supply chain and delivery network of The Fruit Box Group, a workplace grocery and procurement partner making over 20,000 deliveries a week to around 8,000 Australian workplaces.

Rather than building its own supply chain, The One Box leverages this existing infrastructure – from local growers to packing and distribution centres in Australia’s major cities. Less duplication, no need for separate warehouses or delivery fleets.

The result is simple. Every $1 donated delivers around $2 worth of fresh food.

The program can scale because the infrastructure already exists. Adding seven schools doesn’t mean building anything new – it means using capacity that’s already there.

That efficiency also means corporate partnerships such as this one with Guzman y Gomez can translate quickly into practical, weekly support for families.

The Demand Continues to Exist

The partnership represents an important expansion of The One Box, but the need continues to grow.

One in six Australian children experience food insecurity. As cost-of-living pressures continue, fresh food can be one of the first things families reduce when household budgets are stretched.

Schools are reporting unprecedented demand for family support. Food insecurity isn’t left at the school gate. Hunger follows children into the classroom and shapes their concentration, attendance and confidence.

While this partnership enables seven new schools to join the program and provides confidence to a further 18, more than 80 schools remain on The One Box waitlist.

If your organisation is looking for a practical way to support Australian families, with impact you can measure, we’d love to hear from you.

Partner with The One Box  Learn more about our school program