You can make a difference this Christmas.

Christmas is a time of celebration, family, friends and gift giving. For many though, the reality will be very different this Christmas.

‘Last year my hours were cut back and now my wife is sick and without her income we struggle to pay the bills, let alone food!’ Bob, recipient.

With many Queenslanders living ‘pay cheque to pay cheque’ it doesn’t take much.  An unexpected bill, a sudden illness, a relationship breakdown, insecure housing, a change in income or employment status, a lack of support networks are just some of the causes. The reality is, food insecurity affects 15% of the population. Sadly, a third are children and worse still, a further 4,283 people are being turned away due to the lack of available food.The good news is you can change this.

Together with Foodbank you can make a difference this Christmas by giving a gift to feed hungry families like Bob’s.

  • A donation of $50 provides 300 meals.
  • A donation of $75 provides 450 meals.
  • A donation of $100 provides 600 meals.

Bob, ‘knowing people care enough to give, restores hope that things can change for me and my family.’

So dig deep and give a stranger a gift this Xmas.

2017 Christmas Can Drive results!

Support for our 2017 Christmas Can Drive’s came from all corners this Christmas for a terrific result. Notable mentions this year!

Retail First and All Purpose Transport reached their target of 40 tonne! A very big target made possible through team work and the very generous shopping public!

Youi did an amazing job of helping us collect all the different can drives and storms didn’t hold them back from helping out it was a huge help!

Seasons Aged Care were back again this year to help out and through their villages collected cans and funds to help make a difference this Christmas.

The Brisbane City Council & Brisbane Libraries Book Amnesty collected a staggering 27 tonne in the month of December! Great to see people getting back to the libraries and to all those who just dropped in, THANK YOU!

QPS and the Bearcat were there for handover of cans from the Commissioners Gift Drive with cans collected around Queensland!

QUS Pty Ltd, BHP, Flight Centre and individuals donned the hi-viz and manned the Foodbank vehicles to make sure every can was collected all around Brisbane!

Queensland Government departments this year outdid themselves with 35 collections around the state with whole buildings supporting and regional teams joining in to support their local communities.

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!  It is through your support, whether one can or one coin it all adds up to amazing results for those doing it tough.

If you would like to help support Foodbank Queensland with a can drive, please phone (07) 3395 8422 or email marketing as below. Remember giving doesn’t end at Christmas.

New Year, new fridge for Village Avenue.

On the 23rd November, 2017 the Griffith University Lions Club in conjunction with dollar for dollar funding from the Australian Lions Foundation Ltd officially completed a special project for the Village Avenue Community Church Emergency Food Relief Program,“The installation of a cold room and freezer room.”

At a luncheon held at the VACC facilities to celebrate the achievement, Lion Daynan Brazil, President of Griffith University Lions Club said, “This has been an important project for our Club and one we believe will enhance the Emergency Food Project now and in the future.”

We welcomed as special guests, District Governor Lion Ann Reed, Australian Lions Foundation Ltd Director Lion Lesley Lyons, and Lion Ian and Mandy Smith from Pinelands Lions Club.

It was delightful to have our guests share this special event and thank them for their comments of encouragement.Peter Cox of the Village Avenue Community Church, told the gathering how much they appreciate the partnership that has developed with the Lions and is sure by replacing the current situation, a number of  refrigerators and separate freezers, will provide the opportunity to make more effective use of food generously made available through Foodbank and Second Bite.

“On average we do between 60 and 70 food parcels each month and operate five days a week servicing close to 400 individuals in 2017. Like many food relief programs VACC relies on the generous giving of church members and other local churches and service clubs. Being connected with Foodbank enables us to purchase about 25% more with the available funds we have.” Mr Cox said.

Also attending were recipients of the project services. Lion Larraine Bence said “It was an opportunity to hear firsthand of the benefits people have experienced and how much they have valued support received”. It has been a wonderful outcome and will ensure the VACC Emergency Food Project serves the community well in the coming years.

Christmas lunch taken care of thanks to Aussie farmers.

With the help of St Vincent de Paul Gympie residents of Murgon, Cherbourg and Cooyar were identified as doing it especially though this Christmas. Many of which were delighted by the sight of such quality fresh produce and the obligatory Christmas Pudding.

Ian Laherty North Central Council President had this to say about the initiative and its impact in the lives of recipients. “What Aussie Farmers’ are doing is truly inspiring! The message for all is that people care what happens to others and are quite prepared to sacrifice so that others are better off. By receiving a hamper, they are also made aware that they are not alone, that people care” Mr Laherty said.

According to the Foodbank Hunger Report 2017, 188,000 Queenslanders have experienced food insecurity at least once a month, with 35% of these individuals being children.

Foodbank CEO, Michael Rose added, “Queensland’s farmers are some of the most generous donors to Foodbank, donating over 3 million kg’s of beautiful, fresh produce last year to those in need, so it is particularly pleasing that, with the help of Aussie Farmers Direct and Aussie Farmers Foundation, we were able to give something back to regional Queensland families who are doing it tough.”

Our deepest thanks to Aussie Farmers Direct and Aussie Farmers Foundation for their continued support. For more information on the Aussie Farmers Foundation visit www.aussiefarmersfoundation.org.au or if you would like to support the ongoing efforts of Foodbank Queensland please contact our friendly staff.

Million dollar pledge to Queensland School Breakfast Programs.

The Palaszczuk Government will give an extra $1 million to Foodbank Queensland to massively expand its successful School Breakfast Program.

Foodbank Queensland currently supports 230 schools. Thanks to our fantastic supporters, we are able to supply bread, milk and fresh fruit. Products such as cereal and spreads are also available when in stock.

“With our funding injection of $1 million over four years, Foodbank will be able to support an additional 62 schools to provide another 500,000 breakfasts a year to an additional 8,060 children across Queensland,” previous Communities Minister Shannon Fentiman said.

“It’s sad that in 2017, 67 per cent of teachers still report children coming to school hungry, with an average of three students in every class arriving hungry.”

“The successful School Breakfast Program invites all kids to attend, promoting social inclusion, and provides a fun, social family atmosphere. “Research has found that food relief allows children to have better focus and concentration, improves physical health, helps them to feel safe and increases attendance and performance at school,” Ms Fentiman said.

According to Michael Rose, Foodbank Queensland CEO, “within days of the election result announcement, Foodbank began working with members of the Department of Communities and others to connect nine school breakfast programs within Townsville.

Foodbank appreciates the support and extra funding to expand its School Breakfast Program and looks forward to working with the government and the department to identify the schools where support is needed.”

Foodbank lodges pre-Budget submission.

Foodbank Australia has lodged its pre-budget submission ahead of the 2018-19 Federal Budget, calling for longer-term funding commitments to assist the organisation to provide food relief to more food insecure people across Australia.

Foodbank is seeking support for the development of a long-term, bi-partisan, whole-of-government strategy on food security in Australia as a key input to Australia’s response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The strategy should outline long-term solutions capable of addressing the key contributors to food insecurity in Australia, as well as policy and funding solutions that will enhance the food relief sector’s ability to efficiently and effectively get food to the right places.

Foodbank is currently doing the ‘heavy lifting’ when it comes to providing food relief to vulnerable communities, but cross-portfolio solutions are required if we are to reduce demand for food relief.

Looking specifically at Federal Government funding, Foodbank Australia is calling for the following:

Funding for the Key Staples Program

Foodbank is seeking a three-year funding commitment of $10.5 million (in total) from 2018/19 to 2020/21 to grow the current volume of ‘key staple’ foods distributed to food insecure Australians by 14 million kilograms.  With 3.6 million Australians affected by food insecurity and our network of >2400 charities unable to meet current food relief demand, it is imperative that the current annual funding of $750 000 per annum be increased and a longer-term commitment secured.  A $3.5 million/year investment from the Federal Government would deliver a gearing of 30:1 and a massive $316m social return on investment over 3 years.

Incentivising Transportation of Donated Food Relief Products

Foodbank is seeking the support of Treasury and the Australian Taxation Office to identify the most appropriate policy and/or legislative mechanisms to incentivise increased donations of essential food and grocery products to Foodbank through enhanced tax deductions for food donations, and the introduction of tax deductions for transport services related to food relief.  Our taxation advice indicates that the delivery/transportation of donated food and grocery items is not currently considered as a ‘gift’, which means the costs of transporting donated food and grocery items remains a barrier to potential donors, with landfill often being a cheaper option.  These reforms would deliver positive outcomes from both a food insecurity and food waste perspective.

Funding for Food Relief Transport

Foodbank is seeking an annual grant from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development of $5.5 million to offset some of the costs associated with transporting >67 million meals per annum to food insecure Australians.  Transport is one of the greatest barriers to our ability to ensure that surplus produce is collected from growing regions and that food relief is delivered efficiently to the areas of most demand (noting that people in rural and regional Australia are  11% more likely to be food insecure than their metropolitan counterparts).  Even when large volumes of highly sought-after fresh produce are identified (noting that 25% of vegetables produced in Australia never leave the farm), the costs (either to the grower or Foodbank) of transporting the produce can be prohibitive, leading to poor outcomes from both a food insecurity and food waste perspective.

You can download the submission here.

 

South Burnett chappy talks school breakfasts.

The South Burnett Pantry is now pressing on in its sixth year with no letup in demand for food aid in the South Burnett. Every Friday the Pantry serves over 100 customers with generous hampers, brunch, and drinks.

They are also fortunate enough to have a great band of volunteers working hard to welcome and support the community not only on Fridays, when they’re open but also through the week behind the scenes receiving supplies from Foodbank and other outlets, stacking shelves, preparing stock and keeping everything ship shape. This year the Pantry will continue to support eleven schools across the South Burnett with their breakfast programs thanks to some extremely dedicated chaplains.

Jordon Bennett Chaplain for Taabinga State School, Cherbourg State School, Murgon State School, Goomeri State School had this to say about the benefits of the program for students coming to school without breakfast.

“Those of us who proudly wear the title of “Chappy” spend a significant amount of our time feeding students providing them with the best possible start to their day. In fact, school chaplains facilitate almost 400 breakfast programs in over 800 schools every week. This is a significant amount of food being distributed to thousands of students every week.”

“The Pantry collects breakfast supplies for 11 schools in our region every week, and I personally oversee the distribution of 60% of this allocation to small schools in remote areas such as Proston, Goomeri, and Cherbourg. In addition to the breakfast program, the South Burnett Pantry is always ready and willing to help the school communities with additional supplies and emergency hampers.”

“There have been many times where I, and fellow chaplains, have had to call on the Pantry to help support a family between pays, over long weekends, and in crisis situations. At a guess, the Pantry has provided some 50 emergency hampers to school families in the last 2 years, with even more supplies being donated to school breakfast and lunch programs to provide a larger and healthier meal to the students. Many of these families rely heavily on the breakfast program as their only option to providing for their kids, and I and my fellow chaplains proudly fill that need with the goods supplied by Foodbank through the Pantry.”

In a week, Jordan’s chaplaincy service provides food, on average, for over 500 students in 4 different schools. This would not be possible without the support of agencies like the South Burnett Pantry putting in the hard yards to collect the allocation from Foodbank Queensland warehouse in Morningside every week. Garnering support in a very low socio-economic area is difficult, and the breakfast program survives purely through the efforts of these two fantastic organizations.

Facelift for Foodbank fleet.

For a project such as this our generous donors played a vital role in terms of sponsorship. This included the likes of Nutrano, Perfection Fresh, Brisbane Markets, Parmalat, Tip Top, Sunny Queen, Aldi, One Harvest, and Costa Group.

Foodbank Queensland CEO Michael Rose had this to say about the update.

“Foodbank prides itself on its ability to manage large food volumes with very modest resources. In light of this, Foodbank recently chose to refurbish some of its older trucks rather than replace them. This allows us to extend the life of our trucks at very little cost and also provided the added opportunity to freshen our livery with our current logo and to showcase the support of our generous donors. Please give us a honk if you see them on the road”.

Without the support of our donors we would not be in a position to help the 188,705 Queenslanders seeking food relief every month. To be able to fulfill our mission of providing the most food to the most Queenslanders in need in the most efficient and effective ways is what it’s all about so thank you to all involved.

If you would like to support the ongoing efforts of Foodbank Queensland, in funding a specific Foodbank program or project, feel free to contact our friendly staff as below.

Citipointe Foodcare: supporting a community in need.

Just over half of parents experiencing food insecurity (54%) have sought food assistance from a charity, with two in five (40%) seeking food assistance in the last 12 months.

Citipointe Community Care first established their food relief program back in 2011 servicing approximately over 2,000 people annually.

Based in Inala their community is diverse and sees them helping refugees, asylum seekers, low-income families, single parent homes, drug and alcohol affected community members, the disabled, those affected by domestic violence, the homeless and indigenous Australians. Those seeking assistance have come from many African nations, Asia, India, Europe and the Middle East to New Zealand.

The Foodcare Team consists of over 60 dedicated volunteers weekly to serve the local community in a number of ways including:

  • School Breakfast Clubs to 3,000 students
  • Distribution of approx. of 21 tonnes of fresh produce to over 5,000 people per week
  • Low-cost food store open to all including the already 3,000+ members
  • Free breakfast and lunch daily to those in need through the Kitchen Connect Team

Citipointe Church West works regularly and closely with many other agencies in the area to assist the local community and government to help build resilience, minimise isolation, bring connection within the community and change the socio-economic class of Inala.

Groups such as Inala Youth Service, Inala Housing, Inala Headspace and the Brisbane City Council. As well as Indigenous Community Health and their ‘Closing the Gap’ program. QLD Mental Health assisting their Chaplaincy and food for families in need. Scripture Union through initiation and inauguration of School Breakfast Programs in the Western Suburbs.

“Without Foodbank we wouldn’t have been able to operate whatsoever and see the socio-economic area rise. One question I ask myself is – would Inala notice if we weren’t here? The answer is absolutely yes! And just the same for Foodbank!” “It’s so wonderful knowing how much Foodbank actually cares for people and are changing the course of the stories written of humanity.” says Bree.

Foodbank Queensland would like to recognise the important role all our frontline charity partners play in bettering the lives of so many. To see successful collaboration between acharities such as this, means a better utilization of services and a great commitment to making a difference to many.

Mirvac Tastes of… campaign wrap-up.

Throughout the month of April, a host of mouth-watering foodie experiences and giant collection boxes popped up in Mirvac Retail shopping centres across the country to raise awareness for Foodbank. Instagram uploads of meals purchased in-centre with the hashtag #tasteofgiving also saw Mirvac Retail donate one meal per hashtag to Foodbank.

To help the public find out more, there was also an in-centre Foodbank Faces of Hunger exhibition of personal portraits, showcasing the compelling stories of Australians who are currently facing food insecurity.

“It’s essential we have the opportunity to incorporate relevance into our campaigns and implement community focused initiatives. Foodbank are undergoing exceptional projects across Australia and are heavily reliant on volunteers and donations to help supply meals to those who need them most,” said Mirvac Retail’s National Marketing Manager, Paul Pozzobon.

In Queensland, the Mirvac Centre’s collectively raised 613 kilograms of product, and $1,537 for Foodbank.  Given the generosity of our many food donors, this allows Foodbank to source food worth more than the equivalent of $25,000 in retail value.

Imagine how many Queensland families that can help! For more information, or if you would like to support the ongoing efforts of Foodbank Queensland please contact our friendly staff.