Getting food from donors to people who need it is the key mission of a new Illawarra service. Photo: Lifeline.
Surges in the cost of living and domestic violence have left more Illawarra residents than ever reliant on outside help to feed their families.
It’s not easy for services to keep up with the extra demand, either.
All that food needs to be transported from donors, such as Coles, Woolworths and local hospitality businesses, often in refrigerated vehicles, and then stored appropriately.
It takes time, money, equipment and space — resources that commnunity not-for-profits are often short on.
Healthy Cities Australia has a plan to bridge the gap.
The charity has received grant funding from the NSW Environmental Protection Agency to deliver a physical, centralised food hub that will also help divert food waste from landfill.
The hub would connect food donors with food relief providers, and take responsibility for transport and storage.
Regional Food Hub project manager Melinda Lawton was appointed to lead the scheme in October this year.
She envisions a depot-type facility, with the potential to deliver much more than just food.
“Initially, we want to set up a depot-style facility where we can have ambient, cold and freezer storage,” she said.
“That’s phase one, and we’re reliant on government, charity and corporate support to make it happen.
“The big picture is a self-sustaining social enterprise with a big community garden that can also offer services like community or corporate cooking programs.
“There’s a whole range of things we could offer. It comes down to the facilities, the funding and how big you want to dream.”
Melinda is currently working on a feasibility study and business case for the project.
More than 40 small food relief and rescue providers operate independently, each managing limited resources, storage, and logistics.
Meanwhile, Fair Food coordinator Grace Potter said the organisations did an incredible job of working together and coming up with creative solutions to the challenges of food relief, but there was only so much they could do.
The Regional Food Hub project has partnered with food donors OzHarvest and Second Bite and food relief providers Warrawong Residents’ Forum, Lifeline South Coast, Vinnies Coniston Hub and Wollongong Homeless Hub.
Grace said the goal was to ensure the regional food hub could provide the most streamlined solution possible before expanding to work with more donors and providers.
“Services are under the pump right now, and for most of them, food relief is just one of many supports they provide,” she said.
“Their power is in the relationships with their community and being hyper-local. They don’t just do food, they do things from financial and legal support to drug and alcohol programs.
“Transporting and sorting food takes time away from them being able to do that important work.
“Businesses often want to donate food but lack the resources to transport it or connect with providers.
“The desire is there, the need is there, it’s just these middle processes that need to happen, and that’s where the food hub comes in.”
The hub has initial project funding until mid-2027.
Melinda said her first and most important goal was to find a suitable site — and this is where the community can help.
“I’m looking for somewhere about 250 to 300 square metres, preferably with a kitchen and coolroom-type set-up,” she said.
“It needs access to parking, the ability for freight vehicles to come in and out, and ideally isn’t being used.
“We would need it to facilitate the initial one to three years, so if anyone has a site that might be in a transition from one stage of its life to another, it could be the perfect opportunity.
“We’re putting the call out to all organisations, all levels of government, anyone who might have something suitable.”
If you think you can help, contact the Food Fairness Illawarra team at [email protected].
