Maddie’s Month is back

Help change a life one bite at a time this Maddie’s Month

 This November, Australians can join the fight against Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes by including a pack of Flavorite tomatoes or capsicums in their weekly shop at Coles during Maddie’s Month, with 10 cents from each specially marked pack being donated to Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision. 

Now in its seventh year, Australia’s largest glasshouse grower of fresh fruit and vegetables Flavorite will aim to raise $100,000 for Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision to invest in Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome research and help save lives and support families living with Bone Marrow Failure. 

Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes are a collection of medical conditions where bone marrow – the body’s blood-making factory – functions improperly or stops working. Tragically, 50% of people diagnosed with Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes will die from the disease, approximately 15% will develop cancerous patterns and thousands more are living with ongoing treatment related health issues. 

Ex-AFL footballer and media personality Nick Riewoldt, Maddie’s big brother and co-founder of Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, said the support from Flavorite and Coles will raise funds to help patients and their families. “The much-needed funds raised during Maddie’s Month will help discovery work for Bone Marrow Failure patients in Australia and around the world,” he said. 

The Maddie’s Month campaign was created by Flavorite co-founder Mark Millis, who personally battled blood cancer and understood the need for medical research to find more effective treatments. Sadly, Mark lost his battle with blood cancer in 2019, but his family proudly continue his legacy. 

Mark Millis’ son, Chris Millis who is the COO of Flavorite, says, “Flavorite would like to thank every Coles customer who has picked up a pack of our Maddie’s Month tomatoes and capsicums in the past. This year with the introduction of our FlavourBites Tiny Toms we are focussing on encouraging healthy eating habits amongst Coles’ customers whilst supporting a great cause.” 

“These Tiny Toms are perfect for healthy snacking and building your immunity. With 160 plus young Australians diagnosed with Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes every year, having a product which makes healthy eating delicious and easy has been our focus. In addition, picking up these purple packs of tomatoes and capsicums is a big support for Aussie farmers like us.” 

Coles General Manager Fresh Produce Craig Taylor said Coles was pleased to partner with Flavorite and Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision for the seventh consecutive year. 

“Flavorite is a long-term supplier of tomatoes and capsicums to Coles and this fundraising campaign to support Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision has now become long-standing as well,” he said. 

“We encourage our customers to look out for the purple packs of tomatoes and capsicums throughout November to help make a difference to someone facing Bone Marrow Failure now or in the future.” 

Since 2016, the partnership between Coles, Flavorite and Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision has raised $600,000 for research, which has already achieved so much towards improving outcomes for Bone Marrow Failure patients, including: 

• Supported the launch of the first Australian Bone Marrow Failure Biobank to collect and store tissue samples that are critical for research into new treatments for Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes 
• Funded a 3-year research Fellowship at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute that focussed on the epigenetic regulators of normal blood development and made discoveries in the search for novel treatment avenues 
• Improved outcomes for patients with the inaugural Fiona Riewoldt Nursing and Allied Health Fellowship relating to daily functioning, symptoms and quality of life issues for patients 

In November 2022, 10 cents from specially marked packs will be donated to the Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision charity. So please pick up a pack of FlavourBites Tiny Toms 125g, Flavorite Vine Ripened Cherry Tomatoes 250g or Flavorite Sweet Pointed Capsicums 240g and help the cause. 

Maddie’s Month kicks off on November 1 at Coles stores nationally.