A Word From Our CEO

As always the primary responsibility of Foodbank SA is to get food to where it is needed the most. Testament to this in the last quarter, our team have launched both the Christies Beach Food Hub and the Mobile Food Hub. These projects have been a response to the dramatic increase in those requiring food relief services in certain pockets of our community. Importantly, these programs will help us to get food to those in need.

To meet this demand that these new facilities are now generating, Leigh Royans and Ron Iasiello have been active in seeking and gaining increased quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables and staple foods. This is no easy thing, as our local growers and farmers have been hit by adverse weather conditions over recent months, which have impacted on the quantities available for donation. In order to ensure that we are financially sustainable, our Marketing and Fundraising team have gained some important partnerships to promote Foodbank SA. The most imminent of these starts this week. Foodbank SA has been announced as a charity partner with Tasting Australia for 2019. A great fit for Foodbank and we will look forward to exhibiting in Town Square during the event (5 to 14 April). So please come along and donate food or coins at the event to help us fill the Mobile Food Hub and put food on the table, or if you can, if you have 3-4 hours to help us, come along  and volunteer at our location, which will be our big new Mobile Food Hub.

It is definitely the start of the AFL season! We have had several opportunities to work with our Partner Port Power including their family day and regional day held earlier in the year Whyalla. Look out for us at the Power game on 13 April to donate tinned fruit or vegetables! While talking football, Adelaide United Football Club have also invited us to attend their game on 7 April against Wellington Phoenix, so if you are headed along make sure you donate a can to help fill the van. For both PAFC and AUFC we have been lucky to host players in the last month as they support our program and the cause! SO check out our newsletter for the latest!

The Federal Budget announced this week produced no news for Foodbank around the country. However with a federal election looming, we expect to see plenty of opportunity for lobbying for substantial increases to financial support for Foodbank, all of which goes to our national food programs. Foodbank Australia CEO Brianna Casey will be spending plenty of time in Canberra over the next month. One dark cloud in the budget was the cut to the GST share for SA of over $600 million. How this affects the state budget remains to be seen. As we head into the election, we ask you all to lobby your local members to support Foodbank. It is important that they know the work we do and the reach we have when making their ‘big’ election promises and decisions!

We definitely couldn’t do all of the work we do without our supporters who help to ensure our programs continue. We encourage you to look out for opportunities to support Foodbank in the coming months with events and programs.

In the meantime if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. We are always happy for a chat on how you can help us and how together we can make a difference in the lives of those in need SA.

Greg Pattinson
CEO, Foodbank SA
8351 1136
gregp@foodbanksa.org.au

Power Community Ltd empowering youth at Foodbank SA

Late last month Foodbank SA were pleased to host Findon High School students for the Power Community Ltd Empowering Youth Program. A fantastic program that engages and encourages youth to work hard and give back to their local community.

https://www.facebook.com/ttadelaide/videos/2004767149829071/

 

Thanks to Today Tonight Adelaide, Port Adelaide Football Club and to players Jack Watts and Matthew Broadbent for your amazing support of the program.

To learn more about our Schools Programs visit our website.

Port Power Food Drive in Round 4 – Carn the Pear

At Foodbank we love our footy! We’re excited that Foodbank SA will be holding a food drive to raise much needed food for those in need, at the Adelaide Oval in Round 4, PAFC V Richmond on Saturday, 13 April.

Foodbank SA needs your help to fill the shelves of the new Foodbank Mobile Food Hub.  Simply donate a can of food at the game to make a big difference to the lives of those in need.

Currently the most needed items are canned vegetables and canned fruit, although donations of any non-perishable food item will be more than welcome.

Look out for the purple donation bins and the Foodbank volunteers at the gates or visit the Foodbank truck in the plaza. C’arn the pear!

Foodbank SA volunteers will be onsite before and during the game. They will be available to answer any questions and tell you more about Foodbank’s work in the community.

To learn more about how Foodbank SA and the difference your donation will make visit: www.foodbanksa.org.au

School Breakfast Program sees an increase in demand

Foodbank SA wants to make sure that South Australian children, regardless of their circumstances, have an equal start in life. A key area of our work is to source and acquire food items to support school based food relief programs across metropolitan Adelaide as well as regional and remote areas of South Australia including the APY Lands.

It has been a busy start to the year with a increasing number of schools joining the Foodbank SA School Breakfast Program.

According to Eleisha Golding, Foodbank SA Schools Program Coordinator, this year has been one of the busiest starts to the school year, “It is evident that the demand for food relief in the school setting is increasing, this is consistent with increase of food insecurity numbers in SA”, says Eleisha.

“We continue to work with schools to deliver a range of programs to support students in their school environment. Importantly, ensuring children get the best start to their day.”

The Foodbank SA School Breakfast Program helps to provide healthy, nutritious food to children who turn up to school hungry. The program also helps schools to provide fruit bowls in classrooms and common areas for students to consume at school or to take home. Foodbank SA delivers breakfast foods to schools free of charge in all regions of South Australia and also provides food to other charities for their School Breakfast Programs. Breakfast items provided free of charge to registered schools in South Australia through the School Breakfast Program include cereal, long-life milk, canned fruit, Vegemite, jam, fresh fruit and bread.

Crossways Lutheran School Breakfast Club

Six years ago, the Crossways Lutheran School began their Breakfast Club as part of the Foodbank SA’s schools breakfast program. These days the children have access to milk, cereal, baked beans, spaghetti, bread, spreads and fresh fruit.

Breakfast Club Co-ordinator Andrew McIlwraith says the club supports struggling families in need.

“Country living is getting so costly and we need to support families through their difficult times,” says Andrew.

“It’s great to see a previously hungry child walk away with a full stomach and a smile on their face.”

The benefits of the program are obvious to Andrew. “Our community families can’t always provide breakfast for their children, due to lots of different reasons. Students can now get to school on time and concentrate in class. They can focus on being able to achieve their goals and work towards their future,” – Andrew Mcllwraith, Breakfast Club Coordinator, Crossways Lutheran School.

To support our School Breakfast Program visit: www.foodbanksa.org.au/donate

Tasting Australia – Putting Food on the Table

We are excited to announce that the South Australian Tourism Commission have partnered with Foodbank SA for the 2019 Tasting Australia. Foodbank SA will be exhibiting the brand new mobile food hub at the Tasting Australia event at Victoria Square from the 5th to the 14th of April.

Our mobile food hub has been designed to deliver food to regional areas that have been identified as having a great need for food relief. To do so, Foodbank needs your help to fill the shelves of our mobile food hub. Simply donate a can or two of food at Tasting Australia, or there is also an option to purchase virtual food cans, all of which will make a difference in the lives of those most in need. Our goal is to fill the truck, which can hold over 5000 meals, so every donation counts in our efforts to provide much needed assistance to the community.

Most Needed items: Tuna, Canned Vegetables & Canned Fruit. Although donations of any non-perishable food item will be more than welcome.

Look out for our purple Food Truck and our purple Donation Bins next to the Tasting Australia entrance before you walk through the gate. Foodbank SA volunteers will be onsite during the event and will be available to answer any questions and tell you more about Foodbank SA and the work we do in the community.

Tasting Australia held in Victoria Square from 5 April to 14 April is a free event. To learn more about how Tasting Australia, visit: https://tastingaustralia.com.au/

Foodbank SA join Westfield for MKR Events

Foodbank SA has partnered with Tasting Australia and Westfield during MKR cooking demonstrations. The MKR demonstrations will be held on the 6^th and 7^th of April, with 2019 MKR contestant appearances. Foodbank will be at Westfield Marion and Westfield West Lakes on Saturday the 6^th of April, and Westfield Tea Tree Plaza on Sunday the 7^th of April.

Dates & Times:

• Westfield Marion: Saturday 6 April, 11am to 12 noon (Near Fresh Food Mall).
• Westfield West Lakes: Saturday 6 April, 2pm to 3pm (Near Coles).
• Westfield Tea Tree Plaza: Sunday 7 April, 12 noon to 1pm (Level 1 – Tunza Fun).

 

Foodbank volunteers will be onsite at these events to answer any questions and tell you more about Foodbank SA and the work we do in the community. We encourage you to bring along a can of food to fill our purple donation bins. Each donation we receive will help us to deliver much needed food relief to the many South Australians who are unable to put food on the table.

Most Needed items: tuna, canned vegetables and canned fruit. Although donations of any non-perishable food item will be more than welcome

Foodbank will also welcome donations throughout the week. Look out for our purple donation bins at Westfield locations that will be located outside Coles and Woolworths from the 6^th to the 13^th of April.

Mobile shop taking food to South Australians in need

Foodbank SA, in partnership with ElectraNet, is taking food to where it is needed the most.

https://www.facebook.com/9NewsAdelaide/videos/622138038249689/?t=3

 

In a step away from the traditional model, Foodbank SA has launched its first Mobile Food Hub – designed to get food to families living in the regional areas of highest demand.

Foodbank SA Chief Executive Greg Pattinson said the Mobile Food Hub was the next stage in ending hunger in South Australia by delivering food to thousands of people who are in need.

“There are more than 117,260 South Australians who struggle to put food on the table each month. This method enables us to reach the ‘harder to access’ areas, where perhaps there aren’t as many services particularly where agencies are struggling to fund food relief services or where transport is limited making services harder to access,” he said.

“It is going to make a big difference for our Foodbank clients who don’t live in metropolitan areas or large regional towns, where the high need for food relief is great but where a permanent solution either isn’t viable or just doesn’t exist.”

The Mobile Food Hub has also been designed to assist families during natural disasters and support drought effected regions in the future. Foodbank SA announced today that ElectraNet was partnering with the organisation to ‘power’ the Mobile food hub and keep it on the road for the next four years, after the State Government provided the initial start-up grant.

The Mobile Food Hub is expected to travel to the Gawler, Barossa Region, Murray Bridge, Victor Harbour and Port Adelaide areas in the next few months. Murray Bridge, Gawler, Victor Harbour, Barossa area and Port Adelaide/Enfield have been particularly identified as being areas of great need with limited service or access to food relief.

Latest statistics show that key areas in need include Murray Bridge, Port Adelaide, Gawler, Victor Harbour and towns within the Barossa Valley, requiring an additional 68,000 meals per month just to keep up with current levels of demand.

“We know that in certain areas such as Murray Bridge the current levels of demand far exceed the food relief currently being supplied. At this point, only 1.65% of the demand for food relief is being met for those living in Murray Bridge,” Mr Pattinson said.

“In Murray Bridge we are currently providing around 158 meals per month but we know 9,583 meals are needed per month just to meet current levels of demand, so this is just an example of why we need to get to these areas, and how much value this Mobile Food Hub will be.”

Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief and food rescue organisation. It already has Food Hubs in Christies Beach, Edwardstown, Bowden, Elizabeth and Mt Gambier, with community and Foodbank supported hubs located in Adelaide and Port Pirie. Foodbank also has warehouses in Edwardstown, Whyalla, Berri and Mt Gambier.

“We will work with agencies, communities, councils or government departments that have identified food insecurity and the requirement for food relief service in a particular location or region,” Mr Pattinson said.

“The Mobile Food Hub will work on a referral system to ensure those accessing the service are in genuine need of food relief and the food relief efforts are going to where it is needed the most in South Australia.”

Foodbank Agency and Food Hub Manager, Leanne Malek, has seen the need first-hand, and believes the mobile facility will make a substantial difference.

“We receive hundreds of calls each week with the request from individuals and the agencies we work with who either are unable to access enough food relief or due to proximity are unable to reach the services provided,” she said.

“This Mobile Food Hub will ensure we have the capacity to be more responsive to areas of need. This will be particularly important with areas of natural disaster or drought, unforeseen circumstances or where identified as high instances of food insecurity within a community.”

Food to be available from the Mobile Food Hub include pantry staples, healthy food options with free fruit and vegetables and meal packs.

ElectraNet Chief Executive, Steve Masters said ElectraNet was proud to be partnering with Foodbank to deliver the Mobile Food Hub.

“We’re pleased to be able to help power the state’s first mobile food pantry and provide assistance to delivering such an important service to our community,” Mr Masters said.

“The Foodbank Mobile Food Hub supported by ElectraNet will be able to operate as a stand-alone distribution centre in areas where Foodbank SA currently does not have a permanent presence.”

“It’s especially close to us because many of the individuals and families who will be able to access this service are in the regional areas, where much of our electricity transmission line network is located.”

The new Mobile Food Hub will be on display at Victoria Square at Tasting Australia during April. Anyone attending the event is invited to donate cans (or virtual cans) to help fill the shelves. Following the event, the Mobile Food Hub will be on the road to the first destination.

“We hope that all South Australians will get behind us for this service. When it is in your area we hope you can help us fill the shelves whether by donating cans or coins,” Mr Pattinson said.

Foodbank Open Food Hub in Christies Beach

The new Foodbank SA Food Hub opened in Christies Beach is helping to deliver much needed food relief to hundreds of families in the southern suburbs.

https://www.facebook.com/9NewsAdelaide/videos/229091127987122/?t=1

 

The opening of the centre aims to help with the huge demand in the region, with new data highlighting an additional 40,000 meals are needed each month in the southern suburbs to meet the current levels of demand.

Around 24,000 meals are already provided each month to suburbs within the Onkaparinga Council, including Christies Beach, Reynella, Hackham, Aberfoyle Park and Happy Valley. However Foodbank SA Chief Executive Officer Greg Pattinson said almost double that number of people were still missing out.

“Many families in the southern suburbs are really struggling right now to put food on the table. We have held three pop-up food hubs in the region, and each time we were stunned about the demand, and how much people really need a hand,” he said.

“Each of these pop-ups have exceeded demand. At the last Foodbank pop up held in Noarlunga more than 800 struggling South Australians were referred to access the free food in just under two hours. We know there is a huge demand in the region and, sadly, it is still growing.”

Mr Pattinson said the aim of the new Christies Beach Food Hub was to “get the food to where it is needed the most”. Other Foodbank Food Hubs are located in Edwardstown, Bowden, Elizabeth and Mt Gambier, with community and Foodbank supported hubs located in Adelaide and Port Pirie. Foodbank also has warehouses in Edwardstown, Whyalla, Berri and Mt Gambier to get food to those in need.

Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief and food rescue organisation. The organisation’s most recent 2018 Hunger Report, released in October, revealed that a staggering 117,260 South Australians are accessing food relief every month – 27 percent of them children.

It highlighted that there was a growing need in South Australia, with 51% of the charities working with Foodbank SA reporting an increase in people seeking food relief, and that around 28% more food is needed to meet demand.

Statistics show in Christies Beach alone, 6001 meals per month are provided, with a further 6324 extra meals needed each month. Similar figures apply for surrounding suburbs, with Seaford and Morphett Vale both having identified needs of 7617 and 5044 extra meals per month.

“By opening in the southern suburbs, we are going to where there is clearly a need. It will also serve as an important link to other services and agencies who’s clients might seek support and advice, particularly at this time of the year,” Mr Pattinson said.

“The current and former State Government and the City of Onkaparinga have been outstanding partners in this, along with many of the community groups and volunteers in the region, and with their ongoing support, I believe the Christies Beach Food Hub will make a very real difference to families in the area.”

To access the Foodbank Food Hub in Christies Beach, attendees must have a referral voucher from one of the agencies we work with. The following agencies are currently referring to the Food Hub, including: Baptist Church Christies Beach, Anglicare Christies Beach, ADRA Morphett Vale, Church of Christ Brighton, Life without Barriers, Seaford Ecumenical Mission, St Vinnies or Housing SA. 

The Foodbank Food Hub is located at 59 Beach Rd Christies Beach.

We take this time to thank our valued supporters who have contributed to the Christies Beach Food Hub: 

• Initial Grant – SA Government’s “Fund My Neighbourhood” program
• Financial support – Onkaparinga Council
• Introductions and design advice- Phil Winwood
• Flooring material donation – Catherine Winwood “Interface”
• Shelving and displays – PC Infrastructure and OTR
• Construction works – Shape Interiors
• Floor installation – Flooring Solutions SA
• Gate – PLC Fencing
• Fruit & Veg displays – Woolworths
• Checkout counters – Romeos Foodland
• IT setup, Computers and cabling – ElectraNet
• Automatic Doors – Smart Solutions SA
• Signage – Big Yellow Rocket
• Painting – Tariq al Farraji
• Roller door – Andrew Foti, Felmeri Group.