Catherine Wright, General Manager, CMJ Wholesale

Without Compass Group helping us to keep alive, we would literally have to consider closing our doors and all of our staff becoming unemployed.

The entire food service sector is destroyed since the announcement of clubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes closing down and has left us facing if whether we could continue as a business.

This business has been established from the ground up some 15 years ago and works towards growing/training and providing employment opportunities for people from vulnerable groups in society such as people with a disability, Indigenous and/or older persons.

We have been devasted in the last three months with bushfires, flooding now COVID-19 and we didn't know how we were going to survive. Three weeks ago, we let three staff go and made one person redundant (sales person), we literally have no customers other than government orientated accounts which totals to 3.

With this business from Compass Group, we were able to keep 3 staff on a casual basis that has meant the world to those staff members and their families.

We live and work in a regional area that struggles with having enough employment for the population and low disposal income. We can continue to pay our bills and expenses such as utilities and debt to the ANZ bank without looking down the barrel of insolvency due to losing 70% of our customers.

Now with this Drinks project it has lifted the spirits of staff seeing stock coming into the warehouse. I'm thrilled that we are helping the Defence force as it has always led the way with inclusion and equality even if it wasn't the community standard of the times. I say a well and truly heartfelt thanks,

I don’t know how to thank you, Defence and Foodbuy enough for keeping a SME alive during these times of crisis, if there is anything I or my team can do please let me know.