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More than
75 Years of dedicated service: a brief history
VicRelief
Foodbank is Victoria’s largest independent emergency relief
resource centre. Through a distribution network of over 650
registered welfare agencies and community organisations, we
provide much needed assistance to families and individuals in
financial crisis or other forms of immediate social
hardship.
Our emergency relief
program – comprising food and other forms of material aid – assists
organisations to meet the demand for critical support within their
local communities. We provide significant and tangible support to
such organisations as the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul,
Anglicare, Uniting Care and a wide variety of other agencies.
This enables them to sustain their emergency relief services and to
perform their critical role in a more effective manner.
VicRelief
Foodbank is also an active contributor to the wider emergency
relief sector. Through partnerships with other service
organisations we initiate and facilitate emergency relief programs
and projects where they are needed most. VicRelief Foodbank also
provides administrative support to Emergency Relief Victoria which
brings together agencies working across the sector for information
sharing, training and common actions.
The Victorian
Government provides an annual grant to enable VicRelief Foodbank to
meet its operational requirements. As a registered charity
VicRelief Foodbank also receives generous support from a wide range
of companies in the corporate and manufacturing sectors, as well as
private support through philanthropic trusts and individual
donors.
VicRelief
Foodbank was established in January 2006 following the
merger of
the former Victorian Relief and Foodbank Victoria.
Victorian Relief was created by the Victorian Government in 1930 as
a direct response to the economic hardship caused by the Great
Depression.
Originally called the State Relief Committee, the major objective
of Victorian Relief was to assist people in distress through an
efficient and economical way of collecting and distributing surplus
food, clothing and other domestic commodities.
From its somewhat simple and pragmatic beginnings as a central
resource depot, Victorian Relief went on, over the next five
decades, to assist many thousands of men, women and children in
their time of critical need.
Foodbank Victoria was established in 1996 as part of a national
network of independent foodbanks known as Foodbank Australia. Its
primary role has been to facilitate and distribute donations of
food and grocery products to welfare agencies across
Victoria.
The joining
of the two organisations, to form VicRelief Foodbank has enabled a
more integrated and expanded emergency relief resource centre to be
created. It is there to serve the needs of the many welfare
agencies whose vital work helps thousands of disadvantaged
Victorians.
The Emergency Relief Sector in
Victoria>>
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