At sometime during the past year
1 in 20 Victorian families went with out food. This appalling
statistic is what our food programme seeks to address. In 2007-08
there were 620 emergency relief providers who had ashare in the 2 million kilograms of food
we made available. These food products had an equivalent retail
value of $22 million which enabled more than 40,000 meals per day
to be delivered to hungry individuals and families across
Victoria.
But it is anyone’s guess as to
what the actualdemand for
food is. All we know is that, despite the generosity of more than
130 companies donating food to VicRelief Foodbank, we still don’t
have nearly enough. Our main focus is on increasing the amount of
basic foods to improve the nutrition and health of those in
need.
Steps toward this goal are being
made. But there is a long way to go. We are developing more
innovative ways to increase donations, especially in fresh food and
staples such as rice, pasta and cereal. Finding more effective and
efficient methods of sourcing food is essential if we are to
achieve our goal of a Victoria without hunger.
VicRelief Foodbank is a member
of the Foodbank Australia network, a national organisation with
food distribution centres in five states.
