Sunny Queen Eggs are feeding hungry Aussies!

We are so egg-cited to see these purple eggs in store! Foodbank’s valued partner, Sunny Queen Australia, has launched an incredible initiative in support of Foodbanks across the country to feed families in need. Reach for a purple Sunny Queen egg carton on your next grocery shop and feel egg-cellent about supporting families who need a helping hand.

“These purple egg cartons strengthen Sunny Queen’s long history of supporting the wonderful work Foodbank does. Unfortunately for many Australian families, stretching the weekly income so that they are able to buy enough food to properly feed everyone in their household is getting much tougher with rising costs of living. Sunny Queen is proud to support Foodbank in the fight against hunger. Our new egg pack is another way we can work together to support families in need. – Sunny Queen’s GM of Marketing, Isabelle Dench.

This cause-related campaign is an eggs-tension of Sunny Queen’s year-round support, which sees Australia’s most-loved egg brand donate around 1,000 eggs per day to Foodbank. In less than eight weeks, more than 240,000 egg packs have been sold in support of Foodbank. What an incredible community achievement! We couldn’t do what we do without our wonderful supporters. Thank you to everyone who has bought a purple egg pack since the launch. If you haven’t yet, there is still time with the campaign running until December 2022.

Read more about Sunny Queen here: www.sunnyqueen.com.au

ANNE’S STORY

Thanks to Foodbank Supporters, this struggling mum received a knock on the door that changed everything.

The scary truth is it only takes one setback to push a person into the nightmare of hunger… It happened to Queensland mum Anne. She had a stable job and had so many plans for her young children.

Through no fault of her own, Anne was pushed below the poverty line after suffering a serious injury and was forced to skip meals to make ends meet. The young mum suffered the loss of her speech and ability to walk. With no means of income and only a small disability pension, it was often only enough to pay for her therapy and medications.

Whenever she could, Anne scraped together enough for noodles, Weet-Bix, or bananas. Many times though, she’d simply go to bed early to avoid the burning hunger or drink warm water to fill herself up. Not having enough to eat made Anne feel worthless.

“Sometimes I wouldn’t eat for days, as I wanted to save what little bit of money I had left, to provide for my kids during their visits. I was often starving, but my babies would always be happy, so I decided it was worth it.” – Anne

Thanks to generous supporters like you, Anne received a knock on the door that changed everything. A food hamper was placed in her arms.

“It was overwhelming. In the hamper was everything to stock my pantry full. Things like flour, sugar, cereal, spaghetti, and tinned goods. Thinking about it still makes me smile.” – Anne

As the cost of living continues to rise, more and more Queensland families like Anne’s are experiencing desperate hardship and are struggling to put food on the table. We need your help to get food to families like Anne’s who need it most.

“Getting help to feed myself has made me realise good people are out there. Some of the nicest ones are strangers who support the work of Foodbank. It feels so good to be able to eat. Thank you!” – Anne

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

*This is a real Queensland story of hardship. Anne’s name is changed to her protect identity.

HELP HUNGRY QUEENSLAND FAMILIES LIKE ANNE’S

Millions of households struggling to put food on the table

Monday 17th October 2022, SYDNEY: On any given day, over half a million households in Australia are struggling to put food on the table, and disturbingly, those with children are being hardest hit.

Released today, the Foodbank Hunger Report 2022 reveals alarming details surrounding the food insecurity crisis the country is facing.

More than 2 million households in Australia have run out of food in the last year due to limited finances, sometimes skipping meals or going whole days without eating. This has meant that 1.3 million children lived in food insecure households during that time.

Unsurprisingly, the rising cost of living is the most common reason why so many are struggling to meet their household food needs, with the cost of food and groceries confirmed as the top cause followed closely by energy and housing costs.

Assumptions that this is affecting only those who are unemployed or homeless are incorrect with the research showing that over half of food insecure households had someone in paid work and a third of households with mortgages have experienced food insecurity.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, has witnessed the rise in demand for food relief services over the past year, but even she was shocked by the troubling picture of today’s Australia exposed in the report.

“We know how important it is for people to have access to nutritious food, yet the rising costs of energy, fuel, groceries, rent and mortgages have put this fundamental need beyond the reach of more and more people with no respite in sight,” said Ms Casey.

“These results should make everyone stop in their tracks. The numbers being reported are massive and hard to process, but they represent the harsh reality of living week to week when the cost-of-living crisis collides with an income crisis and the household budget now lists food as a discretionary spend,” said Ms Casey.

The report signals that the problem is only set to get worse with half of all households experiencing difficulty saying that being unable to afford food is happening more often.

The food relief charity is hoping that next week’s Budget will deliver positive change.

“We have heard the Treasurer caution that the October budget is not the time for new spending measures to deliver relief to struggling families, but with more than a million people a month already seeking food relief, if not now, then when?”

KEY STATISTICS

On any given day, over half a million households in Australia are struggling to meet their food needs.
Households with children are being hit harder than others (32% severely food insecure in the past year vs a national average of 21%) and single parent households are the worst of all (37% severely food insecure).
The rising cost of living is the most common explanation for why people are failing to meet their household food requirements (64% of food insecure households). Unpacking this, the cost of food and groceries is the top cause (49%), followed closely by energy (42%) and housing (33%) costs.
Over half of food insecure households (54%) had someone in paid work.
Nearly a third of households with mortgages (30%) have experienced food insecurity in the last year. The situation is even worse in regional areas (36% vs 27% in metro areas).
On a typical day, 306,000 households are receiving assistance from food relief organisations.

METHODOLOGY

This report presents key findings from the Foodbank Hunger Survey, which was conducted between 11 and 28 July 2022, through an online questionnaire of 4,024 people in Australia aged 18 years or older. The sample was nationally representative by age, gender and location (capital city / rest of state) in each major state, with stratified quotas to ensure all major states have a robust minimum sample size of n=600 or above. The data was weighted to nationally representative proportion of age, gender, state and location (capital city/ rest of state).

The term food insecurity covers a range of experiences – from being uncertain about getting enough food and compromising on nutrition right through to disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.

Millions of households struggling to put food on the table

Monday 17th October 2022 Adelaide: On any given day, over half a million households in Australia are struggling to put food on the table, and disturbingly, those with children are being hardest hit.

Released today, the Foodbank Hunger Report 2022 reveals alarming details surrounding the food insecurity crisis the country is facing.
More than 2 million households in Australia have run out of food in the last year due to limited finances, sometimes skipping meals or going whole days without eating. The report shows that more than 52% of Australian households with children having experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months. This has meant that 1.3 million children have gone hungry during that time.

HUNGER IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Unfortunately, South Australia is once again experiencing a significant increase in the levels of food insecurity, with more than 130,000 South Australian households having experienced severe levels of food insecurity in the last 12 months.

Foodbank SA CEO Greg Pattinson said the last year has been hard for South Australian households, particularly those with children, with the Foodbank Hunger Report further highlighting the troubling reality of child hunger in South Australia.

“It’s hard to read the research and figures, particularly in relation to food insecure children in the state, which revealed that over 78,000 children in South Australia have lived in severely food insecure households in the past year.”

“When we look at the definition of severely food insecure, that is skipping meals or going whole days without eating. Stop and think about that shocking statistic! More than 78,000 children are living in households that have not had enough food to put a meal on the table. These are South Aussie kids that are going hungry.”

“We know how important it is for people to have access to good food, however, the rising costs of living, groceries, fuel, rent and mortgages are putting additional pressure on already struggling households, particularly families” said Mr Pattinson.

The report signals that the problem is only set to get worse with half of all households experiencing difficulty saying that being unable to afford food is happening more often.

“Foodbank SA is determined to continue to support South Australians in need, including through our breakfast and lunch programs in schools. We are now distributing the equivalent of 20,000 plus meals per day, right across the state, but we need to do more.”

According to Foodbank SA, additional food to the equivalent of 5,000 to 7,500 meals per day is needed to meet the current levels of demand here in South Australia.

This Anti-Poverty Week, Foodbank SA is asking for the support of the SA Government, SA businesses and individuals to help them in their mission to feed South Australians in need every day.

KEY STATISTICS

On any given day, over half a million households in Australia are struggling to meet their food needs.
The term food insecurity covers a range of experiences – from being uncertain about getting enough food and compromising on nutrition right through to disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.
More than 2 million households in Australia (21%) have experienced severe food insecurity in the last 12 months, which means they actually ran out of food because of financial limitations sometimes skipping meals or going whole days without eating.
Households with children are being hit harder than others (52% of Australian households with children have experienced food insecurity in the past year) and single parent households are the worst of all (37% severely food insecure).
The challenge of having adequate and nutritious food is only increasing, with over 50% of food insecure households reporting that being unable to afford food is happening more often this year than last.
The rising cost of living is the most common explanation for why people are failing to meet their household food requirements (64% of food insecure households). Unpacking this, the cost of food and groceries is the top cause (49%), followed closely by energy (42%) and housing (33%) costs.
Over half of food insecure households (54%) had someone in paid work.
Nearly a third of households with mortgages (30%) have experienced food insecurity in the last year. The situation is even worse in regional areas (36% vs 27% in metro areas).
On a typical day, 306,000 households are receiving assistance from food relief organisations.

In South Australia:

Over 78,000 children in South Australia lived in severely food insecure households in the past year.
Over 130,000 households in South Australia were hungry in the last 12 months due to lack of funds, sometimes skipping meals or going whole days without eating.
Nearly half of food insecure households in South Australia (46%) had someone in paid work.
29% of households in South Australia with mortgages have experienced food insecurity in the last year
The rising cost of living is the most common reason that people in Australia are struggling to put food on the table.

METHODOLOGY

The full report can be found at www.foodbank.org.au.

For National media enquiries:

Rebecca Collins, National Marketing & Communication Manager
M: 0409 786 132
P: 02 9887 4144
E: rebecca@foodbank.org.au

For South Australian media enquiries:

Greg Pattinson, CEO, Foodbank SA
M: 0418 842 927
P: 08 8351 1136
E: gregp@foodbanksa.org.au

Thornbury Community Church

Welcoming refugee communities

Each year, Refugee Week allows us to share stories and celebrate the incredible support that many of our charity partners provide to migrant and refugee communities. Today, we shine a light on one of our many charity partners who continue to make an incredible impact on those families and individuals navigating their new lives in Australia…

Since 2005, Pastor Paul has been volunteering at the Thornbury Community Church, working to establish a food relief program to complement the range of inclusive and community-oriented programs they offer.

Working out of the community hall adjacent to the church, Paul works with a regular team of 10-15 volunteers to operate the food program on a Wednesday afternoon. Each week, volunteer Shanaz picks up the food from Foodbank in a recently acquired van. The food is then packed into hampers of fresh and staple foods, with close to 200 families being assisted monthly.

“We assist a big variety of people here – refugees, migrants, people with special needs, people on their own, the elderly, students and those experiencing homelessness”

In between working full-time, being a full-time minister and running programs at the church, Paul travels around Melbourne picking up donated furniture and delivering it to newly settled migrant families and households in need.

In addition, the community church also operates a series of activities to both empower people experiencing hardship and provide a sense of community and social inclusion. These programs include fortnightly men’s and women’s groups facilitated by professional counsellors, volunteer nights, community meals and free training and skills workshops.

For Paul, the driving force of the community centre is to provide a welcoming and comforting place where everyone feels safe – regardless of age, gender, religion and ethnicity.

“There is a lot of misery and pain in society. We try to alleviate as much as we can and work to create a genuine, welcoming environment where people feel themselves. They find a family and a sense of belonging here.”

Meet some of the folks you helped this winter

Deb is mum to a fourteen-year-old son with a rare disease and tragically lost her brother and dad within weeks of each other, followed by her nephew and sister the following month.

Her husband left his job to help support Deb during the toughest time of her life leaving the family with no income to cover the costs.

“I was so worried about how I was going to feed my diabetic husband the right food with so little money.”

Thanks to your support, Deb and her family now have regular access to fresh, healthy food through one of our long time charity partners – and life is less of a struggle.

Drive Thru feeds thousands in one day

On Sunday 3 July 2022, we ran two pop-up drive thru services at the Melbourne Wholesale Market in Epping and Chobani’s newly expanded site in Dandenong.

Our incredible partners and volunteers worked all day to get 2,000 hampers of fresh produce and 2,000 hampers with pantry staples into the car boots and back seats of Victorians in need.

“You are all amazing. This is the first time I’ve taken charity and I was in tears when your crew put the boxes in my boot.”

Thank you for giving food and hope to flood affected Queenslanders

In early March 2022, Foodbank Queensland launched a Flood Appeal to help get emergency food and drinking water to flood affected Queenslanders in desperate need. Sadly, many Foodbank Member Charities were contacting us for more food, well above our standard supply volumes, due to an increased community need, flooded food stock and damaged facilities.

That’s why your support was so important. Thanks to our generous supporters, more than 220,000 meals have been supplied to the impacted regions across our state over five months, from March to July 2022.

As Queensland’s largest and most connected hunger relief charity, Foodbank continues to have a vital role to play. We know that flood recovery will take many months, and sadly for some families, home repairs will span years. We will continue working hard with our frontline Member Charities to support these communities with additional food supplies to meet demand, thanks to the support of our donors and the tireless work of many volunteers.

In these times of crisis, we are so grateful to have your support!

Thanks to you, Andrea had food for her children!

When the devastating floods arrived in her hometown, Andrea and her children lost everything – Andrea’s family home was destroyed, and all their food and belongings were ruined. As a young single mum, Andrea didn’t know how she would feed her children. Fortunately, thanks to your generosity, Andrea was able to access emergency food from a local Foodbank Member Charity.

“I’d lost everything. Getting help to feed my family gave me hope, trust and faith.” – Andrea*

*This is a real Queensland story of hardship. Andrea’s name is changed to her protect identity.

Member Charities could keep serving meals!

“The floods have affected people from all walks of life. We’ve had people coming to us hungry who were well off before. I feel grateful, thankful and blessed that Foodbank’s donors are helping us support our fellow community members who are living with severe hardship.” – Silvana, Caboolture Community Action

Your generosity helps Foodbank provide emergency food and groceries to frontline charities across the state, like Caboolture Community Action, to support Queenslanders experiencing a crisis.

You helped flooded communities pull through!

With families forced to evacuate homes and food destroyed in the floods, requests for food relief skyrocketed. Thanks to your support, Foodbank could supply Member Charities like Shiloh Christian Care with emergency food for all those going hungry.

“After people had endured days of bad news, getting an emergency food hamper told them somebody out there loves them and cares about them. When you feel like you’re so alone, surrounded by flood waters and rain and all that scary stuff, it’s such a powerful thing.” – Pastor Phil, Shiloh Christian Care (pictured). Click here to read the full story.

Mission critical for Foodbank Queensland amid rising costs

1st September 2022

Cost of living increases are impacting the most vulnerable across Queensland with Foodbank Queensland revealing more than half the state’s food relief charities are struggling to feed families in need of support.

Already providing additional emergency food supplies to 67 food relief charities this year, Foodbank Queensland is supporting a staggering 50 per cent more people on a weekly basis than before the pandemic.

To support struggling food relief charities and families in need, Foodbank Queensland is urging Queenslanders to participate in its annual Hunger Drive campaign from 1–30 September 2022.

Foodbank Queensland chief executive Sara Harrup said with thousands of Queensland children and adults going hungry each year, the most vulnerable are often those who walk past you every day.

“Food insecurity doesn’t discriminate and affects Queenslanders of all ages, backgrounds, living situations, employment status and location,” she said.

“In the face of rising costs of living, we’re seeing a spike in demand for our vital food relief services, as more Queenslanders turn to Foodbank’s Member Charities to help put food on the table.

“Very often it can be your neighbour or friend who is struggling and too embarrassed or ashamed to speak out and ask for help.

“With more than 13 per cent of Australia’s population living below the poverty line, and food relief organisations across the state facing difficulties in meeting growing demand, it’s critical the community bands together to provide as much as we can to support those in need.”

During September, a long-term donor of Foodbank Queensland will be matching all donations made to the Hunger Drive. That means, every dollar donated to the Hunger Drive will generate four meals to help fight hunger and provide much needed food relief to charities and families who need it most.

Queenslanders can get involved with the Hunger Drive throughout September by setting a fundraising challenge at home, schools, and workplaces. This can include donating your monthly coffee fund, giving up your favourite food or committing to a fitness goal.

For more information on Hunger Drive or to get involved, visit: www.hungerdrive.org.au

-ENDS –

About Foodbank Queensland

Foodbank in Queensland is the state’s largest hunger relief charity, operating on a scale that makes it crucial to the work of the frontline charities who are feeding vulnerable Queenslanders.

Foodbank Queensland sources millions of kilograms of food from farmers, manufacturers and retailers, and distributes this food to hundreds of Food Relief Charities and School Breakfast Programs state-wide.

Foodbank Queensland’s community impact:

Feeding 48,000 Queenslanders in need, plus 33,000 school children per week
Supporting 300 Food Relief Charities, and 300 School Breakfast Programs each year
Sourcing 14 million kilograms of food, distributed as 25 million meals equivalent each year

Reducing landfill CO2-e emissions by 26 million kilograms each year.

 For more information on Foodbank Queensland, visit www.foodbank.org.au

Media enquiries

Zoe Templeton
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Foodbank Queensland
P: 07 3395 8422
E: zoe@foodbankqld.org.au

When cute came to Foodbank!

They’re here.

We’re big fans of Tradie, who make Australia’s favourite workwear. So when they offered to create a covetable range of cheeky, colourful fruit and veg themed undies exclusively for Foodbank to raise much needed funds to feed vulnerable Victorians – of course we said yes!

Boxers that deliver your daily intake of greens
Fruitylicious sports bra and brief sets
Adorable onesie in softest cotton for the new bub in your life

Exclusive to Best and Less stores with proceeds from every purchase coming directly to us.

Shout out to our teeny model Ollie, whose mum is part of our Foodbank team and kindly let us immerse him (briefly) in a crate of fresh mandarins which your generosity helped make possible.

On sale at bestandless.com.au.

Every $1 will help provide 2 meals

Our big, bold plan to nourish the whole of Victoria

With your help, we’ve never worked harder to put food on the tables of vulnerable people in regional Victoria, who are 33% MORE LIKELY than Melbournians to need our help.

Our new Community Food Centres at Morwell and Ballarat will provide the critical missing link between Foodbank’s supply of healthy food, the work of our local charity partners and those needing food relief in Gippsland and The Grampians.

Community kitchens, veggie gardens with native herbs, warehousing made from 100% SUSTAINABLE materials with capacity to store much needed fresh, chilled and frozen food – the spaces will provide a permanent and sustaining solution for the regions.

Encouraging healthier food choices through cooking programs, employment pathways through training and the preservation of local indigenous heritage.

See you soon, Ballarat and Morwell!