Companies use their loaf to help feed the hungry NSW Foodbank manager Tony Gatt at the organisation's warehouse in Wetherill Park, in Sydney's west. BUSINESS is booming for NSW Foodbank manager Tony Gatt, though it's bittersweet -- the 57-year-old works to feed the hungry and he's disturbed by the extraordinary growth in demand. But while two million Australians look to charities each year for help to put food on the table -- a 10 per cent increase since last year -- many big businesses have heeded the call for assistance. One of Australia's largest food manufacturers, Goodman Fielder, decided last year to take a new approach to the country's hunger crisis by putting the onus on its customers. For every loaf of bread the company sold, it promised to donate one to charity. Last year, it donated an unprecedented three million loaves of bread. "That campaign was our way to give back to the community and it did exceptionally well," Goodman Fielder managing director Pankaj Talwar said yesterday, before later accepting Foodbank's Leadership Award on behalf of the company for the campaign. The response from our retail partners was exceptional. The consumer response was also terrific. Mr Talwar said the company would look to expand the program to other products if possible and wanted other companies to follow its example. Almost 700 supermarkets and food producers donate their efforts and products each year to Foodbank, which supplies more than 2500 welfare agencies. Last night's Foodbank annual leaders forum also saw awards given for the development of a long-life milk product; an innovative way to supply large quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables; and a media award for helping to promote the cause of food hunger. Foodbank Australia chief executive John Webster said only $1 million was donated by government to the charity each year, leaving corporations to make up the lion's share of donations, which exceed $200m worth of products. As demand continues to increase, he hoped Goodman Fielders' example would catch on. "Not only did this campaign guarantee more than a year's supply of bread to Foodbank, but the advertising and promotion helped to raise awareness of the issue of hunger in Australia," Mr Webster said. Mr Gatt said that in NSW demand for emergency food relief had grown 30 per cent in the past year, forcing Foodbank to expand. "About 100,000-120,000kg of food comes into our NSW warehouse every week . . . but we're still turning away 60,000 people a month," he said. We're looking for another $2m to build a larger distribution centre . . . (to) provide three times the amount of food.