A Truck Load Of Support Grows Access To Food Donations In Queensland

Queensland’s frontline charities will soon have access to hundreds of tonnes of additional fruit and vegetables to provide to needy families thanks to a fitted out truck donated to Foodbank Queensland.

The truck has been donated by Alliance Airlines to help increase the rescue of food at risk of going to waste and fast track its distribution to more than 300 frontline charities and 300 school breakfast programs throughout the state. It is the fifth truck in the Foodbank Queensland fleet and will grow its capacity to collect food for frontline charities by 20 per cent.

The need for extra food is so strong that the refrigerated truck will be on the road up to seven hours each day and is expected to travel about 800 kilometres every week carrying 28 pallets of donated food per trip.

The generous support from Alliance Airlines will change lives right across the State.

“Every hour Foodbank Queensland provides 3,000 meals to people in need in Queensland. This supports 150,000 Queenslanders each week, but sadly the demand still outweighs supply,” said Jess Watkinson CEO Foodbank Queensland.

“We have a big state and a lot of agriculture, but sadly, sometimes the crops just don’t get to market. With this truck we will have the capacity to rescue a lot of that produce and put it in the hands of the frontline charities that can distribute it, and that makes a huge difference.”

Through Foodbank Queensland’s work with Queensland farmers and hundreds of food and grocery companies, its trucks are used to also rescue produce and good quality packaged and tinned foods and deliver them where they can be distributed.

Scott McMillan, Managing Director of Alliance Airlines, said the airline travels to remote areas of Australia and sees firsthand the need for assistance by families in regional and remote areas, as well as capital cities.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Foodbank Queensland, as the state’s largest and most trusted hunger relief charity,” says Scott McMillan.

“We look forward to supporting Foodbank Queensland in the fight against hunger and to help make an impact to the lives of many Queenslanders.”