An Illawarra Regional Food Hub would help get excess food to people in need. Right: A crowdfunding campaign has been launched. Photos: Healthy Cities Australia.
Last week a national survey revealed one-third of respondents skipped meals daily because they could not afford to buy food.
In the survey of 4400 people seeking emergency relief support from the Salvation Army, almost one in five (19 per cent) said they had eaten from bins and three in five (60 per cent) had eaten expired or spoiled food in the past 12 months.
The survey revealed widespread food insecurity and severe financial distress, with 91 per cent of people saying they skipped meals in the past 12 months, one third (35 per cent) had survived on only one meal a day and 67 per cent said they watered down food or drinks to make them last longer.
Now a community initiative in the Illawarra has launched a crowdfunding campaign to establish the Illawarra Regional Food Hub to help deal with the alarming rise in food insecurity.
Healthy Cities Australia, which is spearheading the campaign, says food insecurity in the region has reached critical levels, with 38 per cent of households struggling to put food on the table.
At the same time as people are struggling to afford to eat, large volumes of good food are wasted due to fragmented systems, limited storage and uncoordinated logistics.
Healthy Cities CEO Kelly Andrews said the food hub would provide a centralised solution to rescue, store and redistribute surplus food from local producers, retailers and hospitality venues to food relief organisations across the region.
She said the initiative aimed to address “a system problem, not a supply problem”.
“Currently, more than 37 organisations operate independently, often with limited resources and infrastructure, restricting their ability to meet growing demand,” Kelly said.
“This is about creating a smarter, more connected system that ensures good food feeds people, not landfill.
“The model is practical, ready to go, and backed by strong community partnerships.”
The project, supported by a coalition of local organisations including Anglicare, OzHarvest, SecondBite, Vinnies and more, is now seeking to raise $137,000 to launch stage one, with a target opening date of October.
Funding will go towards critical infrastructure such as a refrigerated van, storage facilities and securing a dedicated premises.
Organisers are calling on the community, businesses and supporters to contribute to the campaign and help bring the hub to life.
“Without action, families will continue to go without and valuable food will be wasted,” Kelly said.
“With this hub, we can build a long-term solution that strengthens our entire community.”
According to the Gofundme campaign, a donation of $50 would help to cover essential small-scale infrastructure needs from crates and tubs to basic handling tools to get the food hub up and running.
To donate visit Gofundme.
