FiGHTING HUNGER IN AUSTRALIA

Chris Scott is the Operations Manager at Foodbank Victoria which is the largest food relief organisation in Victoria. They are an essential link between hungry Victorians and healthy food that otherwise would have been used as land fill.

Thousands of tonnes of perfectly good food is wasted each year. Click here to view the World Food Clock which highlights the amount of food that is consumed and wasted around the world. It is important that this food is redirected to hungry families who are in desperate need.

Here are some facts about Foodbank Victoria:

In 2015-16, they distributed 18 million meals to Victorians facing food insecurity in metropolitan and regional areas.
They accepted food from 319 local and national food manufacturers, wholesalers, producers and retailers.
Their storage warehouse is located in Yarraville. It is reasonably central but the cost of leasing the property is very high.
They worked with over 400 community organisations (e.g. St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, etc) and 500 primary schools to provide people with essential food.
Last year, they received financial donations from 1500 individuals, community groups, corporations and government.
47% of the donated food relates to pantry products e.g. milk, bread, cereals, rice, pasta, baked beans.
23% of donated food is fresh e.g. fruit and vegetables.
30% is chilled or frozen products.

How can we help?

Hold our own food drive.
Hold a fundraiser. A $1 donation equates to $8 worth of food.
Become a volunteer. Foodbank Vic relies heavily on volunteers.