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.

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.

Sweet Potatoes Australia: Committed to supporting Foodbank Queensland.

For Sweet Potato growers Greensill Farming Group and Halt for Holt’s, it’s all about working together!

Growing independently for over 10 years in the Bundaberg region, in 2016 the farms joined forces to create Sweet Potatoes Australia. While ensuring they deliver clients Aussie Gold Sweet Potatoes 52 weeks of the year, Sweet Potatoes Australia is also focused on working together to give back to the local communities they work in and beyond.

“The Foodbank story is such a great example of that true Aussie spirit and digging deep to help others. It’s tragic to think with the abundance of amazing fresh produce we have on offer in Australia, that every week many are going without”, said Damien Botha, General Manager – Greensill Farming Group.

Sweet Potatoes Australia has committed to supplying a minimum of 2 tonnes each week to Foodbank Queensland. Recently Sweet Potatoes Australia’s donations were able to assist Foodbank in supplying Reach Out Community and Family Care in Everton Park.

“Our promise is to contribute and support Foodbank each and every week of the year. For our team of over 200 local employees, knowing they are making life a little easier for families in need across Queensland is very important. Foodbank do an amazing job of not only distributing the donations of many great businesses, but also keeping us up to date with where donations are going,” said Damien.

According to Foodbank CEO Michael Rose “To receive this beautiful fresh produce directly from the farm with sweet potato being a highly nutritious food, with many wonderful health benefits for Queensland’s struggling families we are eternally grateful.  We have heard countless stories of families relieved and grateful at the joy of receiving such wonderful food during their toughest challenges in life.  For many, it helps them get through a short-term crisis and back on their feet.  I applaud the generosity and community spirit shown by Sweet Potatoes Australia and our many other donors and encourage everyone to support them while they support us.”

Apart from seeking money to support their family, parents may also protect their children from food insecurity by finding other ways to ensure their children have access to food.

Almost half of parents have cut down on the size of the family’s meals to make the food last longer. Additionally, parents may take their children to a family member’s house for a meal, seek food assistance from a charity or have their children go to friend’s house for a meal.

This is why we need your help.

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

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

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, as without your support I don’t know where we would be.” Kim, to all donors. Your support is vital in Foodbank’s efforts to improve the lives of families doing it tough this Winter. On behalf of those who benefit from your generosity thanks.

“I was embarrassed of my situation and too ashamed to ask for help, but I needed to do something for my family as I didn’t want to see my children go without.” Kim. Your support is vital in Foodbank’s efforts to improve the lives of families doing it tough this Winter.

On behalf of those who benefit from your generosity thank you.