Foodbank Queensland increases food storage capacity by 28%!

We are excited to announce that Foodbank Queensland’s pallet racking has been upgraded for the first time in 20 years!  

Thanks to the generosity of John T Reid Charitable Trusts, Foodbank Queensland has replaced all existing pallet racking, allowing us to improve our layout, increase food storage capacity and be more efficient and effective. 

Sara Harrup, Foodbank Queensland CEO, said the project has enabled Foodbank Queensland to rescue, store and distribute 28% more food. 

“The support of John T Reid Charitable Trusts has helped us increase the capacity of Foodbank Queensland, welcoming more Member Charities and providing more essential food and groceries to those in need,” Ms Harrup said. 

As the largest hunger relief charity in Queensland, providing food for over 25 million meals each year, Foodbank Queensland is committed to growing and adapting to meet increased state-wide food relief demand.  

When Foodbank Queensland’s Morningside facility opened 20 years ago, one million kilograms of food was sourced and distributed annually. Twenty years later, in the same facility, we are now providing more than 14 million kilograms of essential food and groceries to support Queenslanders facing hardship. 

Foodbank Queensland’s impact has grown year on year as we work tirelessly towards our vision of a Queensland without hunger. Every day, up to 32 trucks full of donated food and groceries arrive at Foodbank Queensland to support Queenslanders in crisis. By creating more spaces for storage, we can now accept and distribute up to 292 additional pallets of food every day.

“There is never enough food. We are a big family and there are a lot of bills to pay.” 

Maria, her three brothers and two sisters recently moved to Australia with their mother. A close-knit family, they were all eager to start a new chapter and leave their difficult life as refugees behind. 

“Before we came to Australia, life was so hard for us. But then we got the chance to come here, and it was like a dream.” – Maria 

Maria’s mother is learning English so she can find work and the children are studying hard, hoping to do well and go on to get good jobs. However, they often find there isn’t enough money to buy food for everyone once the rent and bills are paid. 

That’s why your support is so important. With your generosity, we can help to deliver nutritious food to the homes of families like Maria’s. 

“There are a lot of bills and we don’t have jobs. We are still students. For bills as well as groceries, it’s a lot of money. But once we began getting food parcels, we started to have enough food for everyone. Now once every two weeks, we can have some meat and pantry items.” – Maria 

It’s thanks to the generosity of people like you that we can support communities like Maria’s, making sure our local Member Charities have food to share with families in need.  

“We love the food from Foodbank. We all eat it and it really helps my mum.” – Maria 

Sadly, 22% of Queenslanders experiencing hunger are children. 

With your help, we can help make sure families like Maria’s do not go hungry. Thank you for making a difference.  

Every $1 you donate will provide two nutritious meals to someone facing hunger like Maria. 

Ipswich Foodbarn provides vital support to hungry Queenslanders

Ipswich Foodbarn is one of Foodbank Queensland’s Member Charities providing vital food relief to Queenslanders in crisis. The Ipswich charity is open four days a week and offers affordable food hampers and free fresh fruit and vegetables to people doing tough in the local community. Every week, the incredible team at Ipswich Foodbarn supports over 4,500 Queenslanders experiencing hunger.

Qim Kauwhata, Ipswich Foodbarn Managing Director, said due to increasing demand for food relief, the charity is being forced to turn away more than 150 families every day.

“Since COVID-19, we have seen a surge in the number of people seeking support. We try to source enough food to meet demand, but sadly we are telling more and more people each day that we have run out of food.”

“During the two weeks we were open in December, we saw more people seeking support than in October and November combined, with a huge amount of people hoping to receive assistance before we closed our doors until the new year. On the day we reopened in January, a record number of people came for food relief. Unfortunately, a lot were sent away with no food,” Qim said.

COVID-19 has severely impacted Queensland’s hunger crisis, with one-third of hungry Queenslanders having never experienced hunger before the pandemic. Many charities like Ipswich Foodbarn are continually adapting to new regulations and restrictions to ensure they can continue supporting as many people in crisis as possible.

Prior to the pandemic, Queenslanders in need were able to walk into Ipswich Foodbarn and select their own food and groceries. However, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Ipswich Foodbarn now operates as a ‘drive-through’, where volunteers place pre-packed food relief hampers into cars. Many days there are so many cars lined up that the charity needs to direct traffic.

Ipswich Foodbarn is also one of the few food relief charities that accept Centrepay, which allows people to pay for their food hampers as a deduction from their Centrelink payment.

Foodbank Queensland is proud to have been providing essential food and groceries to Ipswich Foodbarn since 2012. Qim said the charity relies on Foodbank Queensland for 75% of their food.

“Without the help of Foodbank Queensland, we would not have been able to continue to feed the multitudes in Ipswich and surrounding areas,” Qim said.

If you are a Queensland charity, Foodbank Queensland membership is a great way to support your food relief projects, offering your organisation a reliable source of food and groceries all year round.

If you are in a position to help Foodbank Queensland provide more food across the state to support Queenslanders in need, please consider joining the fight against hunger as a regular giver.

Being out of work has put Tony and his family in a desperate situation

“I never thought in a million years that I would be in the position I am now. We try and do everything we possibly can, but some days we literally run out of money.” – Tony

Tony was an active, hard-working family man until a beach accident left him unable to work for six months. He recovered well and was about to go back to his job when an out-of-control motorist ran into his car. With another set of debilitating injuries, Tony found himself in an even worse situation than before.

At the time, Tony was working for a catering company that serviced Brisbane airport. So, when the pandemic hit and his worker’s compensation ran out, there was no way for his employers to keep him on.

“I’ve pawned all my tools and used our savings to try and get by, but for a couple of weeks we were pretty much just living on bread and water – I didn’t know what to do or where to turn.” – Tony

Desperate to put food on his family’s table, Tony came across one of Foodbank Queensland’s local Member Charities. Because he can no longer drive, the charity delivers hampers of nutritious food to his home.

“It’s the highlight of our week knowing there’ll be fresh fruit and veg, bread, and dried foods like pasta and rice. Without this help we would not have made it this far. I take my hat off to Foodbank and the people who donate – it makes all the difference to us as a family.” – Tony

With so many livelihoods lost to COVID-19, too many families like Tony’s all over Queensland are doing it tough right now. Sadly, 1 in 3 Queenslanders facing a hunger crisis had never gone hungry before the pandemic.

With your support, we can make sure our local member charities have enough food to share with families in need, helping them to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

Your generosity will make sure that families like Tony’s do not go hungry. Thank you for making a difference.

Every $1 you donate will provide two nutritious meals to someone facing hunger like Tony.

Foodbank’s School Breakfast Program vital for hungry children

Did you know, on average, three children in every Queensland classroom arrive at school without breakfast? When a child goes to school hungry and without proper nutrition, there’s much more at stake than just empty tummies, their entire education can be put at risk.

Foodbank Queensland is focused on supporting the thousands of children returning to school from low-income, vulnerable families. Our mission is to make sure that all Queensland children, regardless of their circumstances, have an equal start in life.

A nutritious breakfast is proven to improve attention, memory, behaviour, and attendance, which all leads to happier and healthier children. Foodbank Queensland’s School Breakfast Program provides fresh, healthy breakfasts for thousands of children every week who would have otherwise gone without.

James’s Story

Unfortunately, not all children are able to start the day with breakfast at home. James is one of these children, in desperate need of support.

Like many kids across Queensland, James often goes to school hungry. After a difficult year, James’s parents are struggling to put food on the table. James tries his best, but he finds it difficult to concentrate in class when all he can feel is his tummy rumbling.

Foodbank Queensland’s School Breakfast Program, running in over 300 Queensland schools, is vital for so many kids like James.

Eating breakfast helps kids like James thrive.

If you would like more information about Foodbank’s School Breakfast Program, please click here.

With her partner in hospital on life support, Rachel struggles to feed her children 

When Rachel and her partner moved to Queensland from New Zealand last year, their lives were full of possibility. With two young children, Sophie and Molly, and the promise of a good job, they were excited about the future.  

Then, the company her husband worked for went out of business. He soon found work driving trucks, and they moved into their own place, when that company shut down as well. 

“A week before Christmas, my partner lost his job. I managed to find somewhere that would send us a food hamper. When it comes to food for my kids, I’ll do anything for them.” – Rachel 

All over Queensland, people like Rachel are experiencing desperate hardship after a sudden change in their circumstances. It’s a heartbreaking situation – and one far too many families are facing right now, with so many livelihoods lost to COVID-19. 

Just as the young family were getting back on their feet, Rachel’s partner suffered a stroke, only two months after starting a new job. With their father’s life hanging in the balance, Rachel’s two young children need your support more than ever. 

“He had a stroke while driving and has been in hospital since June. He’s got some movement, but he can’t hear you. He’s on life support. I try to do odd jobs to make a bit of money so I can catch the bus to visit him, otherwise I walk. I’ve been trying to keep positive.” – Rachel 

Food hampers are a lifeline for families like Rachel’s. 

“The food hampers have helped me out so much. We were even invited to a Christmas party last year, which was beautiful.” – Rachel

With your generosity, Foodbank Queensland can help make sure families like Rachel’s do not go hungry at Christmas.  

Every $1 you donate will provide two nutritious meals to someone facing hunger this Christmas.

Sudden unemployment left Camille seeking food relief for the first time.

“During COVID-19, the restaurants and cafés closed, so, unfortunately, I lost my four jobs.” – Camille

Camille never imagined that, when she came to Australia to study, a global pandemic would leave her jobless and unable to afford life’s necessities, miles away from home.

Before COVID-19, Camille was busy working four casual jobs and studying at a local Brisbane university. However, COVID-19 lockdowns forced the restaurants and cafes where she was working to close down. Although she tried to apply for many other jobs, nowhere was hiring.

As an international student from France, Camille was unable to access any Government assistance. Luckily, some of her friends told her about one of Foodbank Queensland’s Member Charities where she could receive much needed support.

Being able to access food relief meant Camille could focus on trying to pay her rent.

“During COVID-19 I was eating so much less. As a student here, I had no money.” – Camille

When it comes to COVID-19 causing hunger in the community, young adults have been hit the hardest, with significant numbers of casual employees and international students like Camille reaching out for help for the very first time.

Sadly, 65% of hungry Queenslanders aged 18-25 are going without food at least once a week – significantly more than any other age group.

Camille was so inspired by the food relief charity providing essential groceries to people in need, that she began volunteering there once a week.

“Food relief really makes a big difference for people who need it.” – Camille

Your generosity will help people like Camille receive the essential groceries they need to get back on their feet. Thank you for making a difference.

Every $1 you donate will provide two nutritious meals to someone facing hunger like Camille. 

Far North Queensland community provides vital support to Queenslanders in need.

Did you know Foodbank Queensland receives generous donations of food and groceries from farmers, manufacturers and retailers all around Queensland? In fact, some of our largest food donations come from Far North Queensland.

Karden, a banana grower in Innisfail, is one of Foodbank Queensland’s largest banana donors in the state. Owner, Shane Cini, said it is very rewarding knowing that their donations are helping Queenslanders suffering from hunger.

“We donate to Foodbank Queensland because it is a great opportunity to be to be part of an organisation that is supporting those in need. It also helps us reduce waste on the farm,”
Shane said.

Australian Banana Company is another reliable donor of bananas in the area, helping us provide fresh fruit and vegetables to Queenslanders experiencing a hunger crisis.

Sadly, many of our food donors have been affected by the events of  this year, including drought, bushfires and COVID-19. However, they have continued their commitment to Foodbank Queensland in ways that inspire us.

This year, when demand for relief was higher than ever before, Koorelah Farms very generously increased their donation and supplied more than 300,000 kilograms of tomatoes. That’s 60,000 shopping bags full of tomatoes to help even more Queenslanders facing severe hardship due to COVID-19.

Other generous food donors in Far North Queensland include Dobe Farming, Double D Produce, CHEP Australia, The Outback Pie Co., Phantom Produce and Lowe and Sons.

Not only does the Far North Queensland community donate essential food and groceries, but local transport providers, including Lindsay Transport and Bootooloo Transport, donate their time and resources to support the transport needs of many Foodbank Queensland food donors.

We couldn’t do what we do without the support of our incredible food donors and generous members of the community.

If you’re in the food industry and are interested in becoming a food donor, please click here.

COVID-19 brings desperate hardship to Angelina’s family

Before the pandemic hit, life was already tough for loving parents Angelina and Jakob. Jakob works long hours at a dairy factory to provide for their family – but despite his long, exhausting shifts, his income was never quite enough.

“My husband works very hard to provide for us all, but due to COVID-19, his hours have been reduced. It’s a very tough time for us,” Angelina said.

Now, with Jakob’s hours slashed, there simply isn’t enough money for food. All too often Angelina and Jakob go without, skipping meals so their children can eat.

It’s a heartbreaking situation – and one far too many families are facing right now, with so many livelihoods lost to COVID-19. Latest Foodbank figures show 28% of Queenslanders in crisis are going a whole day a week without eating.

These times are especially hard for people like Angelina and Jakob, who have no family network to turn to.

“We don’t have any family here in Australia. We live in a three-bedroom house and often my husband sleeps in the dining room as we don’t have enough space for all our children. Sometimes I don’t have much hope for a better life when a bill comes and we don’t have money to pay on time. I try my best but it’s really hard to have hope.”

“I always pay bills before buying food, as I need to keep a roof over my children’s heads. It’s better to be hungry than not pay our rent.” Angelina said.

For families like Angelina’s, gifts of nutritious food and groceries are a lifeline in times of desperate hardship. That’s why your support is so important.

Your generosity has made sure that people like Angelina and her family were able to receive food and support during a time of crisis. Thank you for making a difference.