One year on
FATHER BOB’S FOUNDATION COMMEMORATES THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF FATHER BOB’S PASSING AND RAMPS UP EFFORTS TO RESPOND TO COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS AND SOCIAL ISOLATION
Today, Father Bob’s Foundation commemorated the 1-year anniversary of Father Bob’s passing and the future shared direction of the Foundation to continue to uphold his legacy. Supporters from across Melbourne gathered at Father Bob’s Pantry to celebrate Father Bob’s life’s work and his ongoing impact on the community through the Foundation’s support programs.
New branding and refreshed logo, a community connection and fundraising day to honour Father Bob, and a call to action for supporters and friends are all part of the teams’ commitment to the Foundation’s future plans.
According to the Father Bob’s Foundation Chairman Adrian Kinderis, “When reflecting on the year since Bob’s passing, Father Bob’s Foundation’s job moving forward is to crystalize its purpose in the absence of its dynamic leader. With Father Bob’s passing it rests with the Foundation to continue his good work and to fully realise the purpose of the work we do without him front and centre – addressing food and emotional poverty. At the core of what Father Bob believed was that nobody should be left behind. With mental health concerns and the cost-of-living crisis at worrying levels, these issues coupled with social isolation and loneliness, we are seeing the work of the Foundation expand beyond the traditional Port Phillip boundaries. While this manifests as a hot meal or food relief, it is equally about connection, community and emotional support for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Father Bob’s Foundation has seen the demand for its meal services double in the last twelve months as well as the number of people visiting for food supplies and basic necessities. The Foundation sees its work, and the wider community support of the work, as being more critical than it has ever been with the need for awareness and funding at the frontline.
While Father Bob is no longer the driving force behind its ethos and operations, his beliefs are the core purpose of the organisation’s charter and as such, his essence has been captured as part of the new branding for the Foundation.
Leveraging the design support of Father Bob’s friend, Adam Ferrier, Chief Thinker at Thinkerbell, Foundation members unveiled the new branding which positions Father Bob’s essence at the center of the Foundation in its continued legacy in the community. The rebranding included a bold new logo that highlights Father Bob’s rebellious spirit, and his famous sayings incorporated across the Foundation’s communications.
Adam Ferrier speaking on his inspiration for the new branding said: “While Father Bob would have found it ridiculous to bring attention to himself through a rebrand, I think it’s important that we honour his legacy by capturing the strength of the Foundation with his defiant spirit throughout the Foundation’s materials. I wanted the logo to encapsulate his bold ‘punk in priest’s clothing’ character to express his passion for leaving no one behind.”
The Foundation also announced the introduction of an annual Father Bob Day to be held on September 14, Father Bob’s birthday, to create a focal point for the Foundation’s fundraising efforts. Father Bob Day will be a celebration of Father Bob and all the things he loved. This fundraising, community based event will safeguard the future of the foundation through fund raising activities and ensure we can continue to fight poverty.
Danielle Prowse, Father Bob’s Foundation Board Member, said: “Father Bob’s passing was a massive loss for the community, however, one year on his work continues to thrive with his spirit living on through the vital care and support offered by the Foundation. We hope that Father Bob Day will not only serve as a celebration of Father Bob’s life but will also encourage support for the Foundation’s initiatives so that we can continue his life’s work. In terms of what the day will look like, well you can be sure there will be dogs and AFL – two of his passions.”
About Father Bob’s Foundation
Father Bob’s Foundation is a Melbourne-based registered charity providing food relief, social inclusion, educational support, and a range of associated services so that no one is left behind.
Established in 2003, it is the latest of many community initiatives Father Bob inspired to uphold the dignity and social rights of the masses. Each week the Foundation supports around 300 people at Father Bob’s Pantry with food and basic necessities, this is around 70-80 people per day, increasing by 50 per cent compared to this time last year. The Foundation also provides around 60 meals each Sunday night at Father Bob’s Community Meal at the Peanut Farm and between 300 and 400 meals per week to other agencies supporting people across Port Phillip and beyond.
Not just a food charity, Father Bob’s Foundation is a strong advocate for mental health in the community, with the Foundation’s volunteers developing personal relationships with the community members they support.
For more information on Father Bob’s Foundation and its community initiatives, please visit www.fatherbobs.com
-ends-
For media enquiries:
Progressive PR and Communications
Darren Saffin / Jodie Artis
darren@progressivepr.com.au / jodie@progressivepr.com.au
0411 089 209 / 0414 699 186
Father Bob receives an OA
The Fr Bob Maguire Foundation and Father Bob's family are delighted with the news that the late Father Bob Maguire has been further recognised for his decades of dedication and inspirational work with — as he called them — the unloved and the unlovely.
A part of Father Bob lives on through people who support his Foundation. We can't duplicate his energy, but we can model ourselves on his optimism and his sense that any sort of problem-solving starts with a communal sense of responsibility.
Father Bob’s work was certainly an inspiration to so many people, local, statewide and Australia wide, that local communities are dedicating themselves to being inclusive, accepting and focussing on the many who are less fortunate. He believed that we are all products of our history, and that too often individuals suffered from deprivation - both material and emotional.
Father Bob had a philosophy which sought out need and acted to try to satisfy it. He gave a public voice to those who didn't have one; to promote a public debate about the disadvantaged without judgment and without blame.
It’s so important that we continue this work in his name but it clearly depends on the on-going support of individuals, local communities, philanthropists and governments to enable this essential work.
Father Bob had a dream that local communities would work together to provide solutions and support in an integrated way. We are working to make that dream a reality. If financial supporters can be found, we hope to create a model for service delivery to local needy individuals through one centralised location in each community.
We hope that this posthumous recognition of Father Bob will remind the broader community of how important Father Bob saw the work of his Foundation and why we are committed to it into the future.
Fr Bob Maguire Foundation advocates a “YES” Vote
Fr Bob Maguire Foundation advocates a “YES” Vote
Many Catholic welfare organisations have made public statements in support of the upcoming referendum on the Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples through a Voice. Amongst these are ACRATH, CatholicCare Victoria, Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, Jesuit Social Services, MacKillop Family Services and Sacred Heart Mission.
A commitment to the outcomes of self-determination along with the reconciling process of walking together are common elements in these statements. The FBMF has decided to publicly back a “YES” vote because Fr Bob was always emphasising the need for inclusivity and respect for all people especially those who are doing it hard. This focus continues to guide our work at the Foundation.
Fr Bob understood the importance of community, connection and place. One of his favourite sayings was “nobody should be left behind”. Since the colonisation of Australia in 1788, First Nations peoples have been left behind.
We believe that a “YES” vote offers an historic opportunity to support justice for First Nations peoples.
As a community organisation we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples as the First Peoples of Australia. We respect their enduring connection to the land and country and believe reconciliation and a Voice to Parliament and the Executive will be important to create fair and more inclusive relationships.
We are committed to values of respect, equity, inclusiveness and empowerment in our work and in doing so contribute to social justice for First Nations people and all people.
Together we can build a more equitable society for all Australians by voting “YES”.
The Future
Statement by the Board of Father Bob Maguire Foundation
The volunteers and Board of the Fr Bob Maguire Foundation want to thank the Victorian and broader Australian community for the outpouring of love and admiration in honour of our founder, Father Bob Maguire AM RFD.
Father Bob established the Foundation in 2003 to bring together all of his social impact initiatives and create a vehicle that would honour and continue his unique philosophy to create opportunities for the marginalised and vulnerable – “the unloved and the unlovely”.
The Future of the Foundation
The Fr Bob Maguire Foundation is committed to continuing the life work that Father Bob began in the South Melbourne community. Now more than ever our job is to translate Father Bob’s vision into a ongoing action and service by his beloved Foundation.
The Foundation remains the practical arm of Father Bob's philosophy – to feed people, to give them respect and whatever other assistance we can offer. In 2023 the Foundation has made strategic decisions to sharpen our focus and resources on the people who need it the most. From our busy OutreachHQ and fleet of HopeMobiles we will be continuing to deliver programs across the inner Melbourne area.
The simple message of Father Bob was to leave no one behind, as he always said ‘don’t forget me, cobber.’
The work of the Foundation is a lifeline to many and it is essential that we now look to the future to implement Father Bob’s vision of community.
The Foundation team is powered by volunteers and are all people with a commitment to what Father Bob stood for and his spirit embedded at the heart of all that we do. In keeping with his vision of investing in the next generation, we are consolidating our operations and continuing to deliver our outreach, social and emotional wellbeing programs and exploring opportunities to expand.
The Future
The Board are friends, supporters, volunteers, and acolytes of Father Bob’s. We are people who collectively have decades of accumulated experience of Father Bob’s philosophy. Father Bob said the Foundation was about the next generation and to support the continuing success of the organisation, the Board now includes a previous Board member who has re-joined, a former manager of the Foundation and a long-term volunteer.
We are humbled by the overwhelming support the Foundation has received in the last month and through the work of our volunteer team will continue to honour the legacy of Fr Bob by keeping his work going.
State Funeral Service
A State Funeral Service for Father Bob will be held at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 11am on Friday 5 May 2023. Doors will open at 10am.
To view the livestream, or for more information and updates, visit www.vic.gov.au/FatherBob