Listen: Foodbank NSW & ACT's Janene Manwaring speaks about food insecurity in Australia throughout 2020 and what Foodbank has done to assist families
By Hope 103.2Thursday 5 Nov 2020Social JusticeReading Time: 5 minutes
According to the latest research by Foodbank NSW & ACT, COVID-19 has increased the demand for food relief in our State, which is why Hope 103.2 is honoured to partner with them for our Building Hope 2020 Appeal, in order to support those who have continued to support us throughout this fatiguing year.
About Foodbank NSW & ACT
Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief charity, providing approximately 70 per cent of food assistance to individuals and families across NSW & the ACT. They partner with over 1000 charity partners and schools to distribute food to those facing hardship, with 373,173 people receiving food assistance each month. Foodbank NSW & ACT works closely with the Australian food and grocery industry, farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers to source stock that does not meet retail standards or is excess product. In addition, they collaborate with suppliers and transport companies to source key staple foods such as meat, pasta, noodle, rice and grain that don’t come in sufficient quantities via rescue channels.
Shining a Light on the Issue of Food Insecurity in the Midst of a Global Pandemic
Become a monthly Hope 103.2 partner and a family in need will receive a Foodbank hamper
Make it monthly AND give a practical gift to a family in need this Christmas
When you partner with Hope 103.2 through our monthly giving program you’ll be keeping your station on-air, online and giving a food hamper to a family in need this Christmas. Thanks to a generous supporter of both Hope 103.2 and Foodbank NSW & ACT, for every new monthly gift, a much-needed food hamper will be given to a family without food this Christmas!
Phil shares his family’s story of how Foodbank has helped
Listen: Phil is a single dad of two girls and has, for the first time, needed to reach out to Foodbank for assistance, after not being able to work in his trade for the past six months due to an injury, as well as feeling the effects of both the bushfires and COVID-19 (4:58)
Foodbank has packed and distributed 27,000 emergency hampers since COVID-19 started and expects to distribute 20,000-30,000 Christmas Hampers to needy families this Christmas.
- Foodbank has had to scale up urgently to respond to the unprecedented increase in food insecure Australians for as long as they need help.
- Through their established relationships with the food and grocery industry, they can purchase direct from the manufacturers or wholesalers, which allows them to maximise the amount of food sourced from available funds – for every $1 donated, Foodbank can turn that into $5 worth or retail value food for people who need it most.
- Foodbank has seen an extraordinary increase in demand for food relief across their charity agencies. This includes new demographic groups who have never had to ask for food assistance before and they know this problem will not be fixed overnight.
- Foodbank has packed and distributed 27,000 emergency hampers since COVID-19 started and expects to distribute 20,000-30,000 Christmas Hampers to needy families this Christmas.
- Charities report a 20 per cent increase on pre-pandemic (pre-12 March 2020) food relief clients. This figure is down from a 78 per cent high immediately following the introduction of restrictions and before the impact of the JobKeeper, JobSeeker and coronavirus supplements kicked in. Demand from traditional food relief clients has remained the same with the increase being made up from the newly unemployed and families that have not sought food assistance before.
- In the past three months, Foodbank Australia has purchased more key staple foods than in the three years prior to COVID-19. Through their established relationships with the food and grocery industry, they can purchase direct from the manufacturers or wholesalers, which allows them to maximise the amount of food sourced from available funds.
- Federal Government funding and corporate donations allow Foodbank to effectively and efficiently source food to support the many people in our communities affected by COVID-19. Funds are vital to help the millions of people in Australia access nutritious food for the foreseeable future as families develop their responses to an uncertain economic future.
- Foodbank has an excellent support network of food and grocery donors and other corporate supporters that help us provide food relief in a ‘normal’ month to more than 815,000 Aussies. These are no longer ‘normal’ times and generous regular donations from our retail supporters, food and grocery manufacturers and farmers, continue to help with supply, but demand for food relief just continue to increase.
- Foodbank’s charity network is reporting that overwhelmingly the additional people seeking food relief are the newly unemployed, international students, temporary visa holders and the elderly who are finding it difficult to leave home.
- Foodbank has had to use its expertise, industry relationships and national networks to navigate disrupted food and grocery supply chains to secure what is needed for front line charities.
- Foodbank has shifted from its regular food and grocery sourcing practices, to a greater reliance on purchasing food in an environment of significant supply chain disruption.
- Foodbank is quickly adapting to the changing environment by introducing new operational models including COVID-19-specific hampers, a food service app and home delivery services (fuelled by an army of community volunteers).
According to the Foodbank Hunger Report 2019, around the country…
- More than one in five Australians experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months (2019)
- Foodbank provides relief to 815,000 Aussies every month
- At least once a week, three in 10 food insecure Australians go a whole day without eating
- Charities are struggling to meet the rising demand for food relief:
- 22 per cent state an increase in the number of individuals seeking food relief from charities
- 37 per cent of charities meet the full needs of the people they assist
- Unexpected bills or housing payments are often the immediate reason a person will go hungry
- 70 per cent of Australians experiencing food insecurity were unable to find a job for an extended period time
- Foodbank provides food relief to 2400 charities and 3000 schools external factors:
- Australia’s unemployment rate jumped to 6.2 per cent in April 2020 from 5.2 per cent in March
- It is the highest jobless rate since September 2015 (ABS)
Download a copy of the Foodbank Hunger Report 2020 NSW & ACT