It says the government has provided more than $43 million to expand community food relief since February 2020,including a $6 million food relief financial reserve,which provided 3.4 million meals to Victorians.
It also contributes $3.7 million to Foodbank Victoria every year.
However,CEO David McNamara said more government funding was needed as the charity had been increasingly forced to purchase food rather than rely on donations due to flooding in Queensland and NSW and global supply chain issues.
He said when people could only afford to eat cheap food that was low in nutrition and high in sugar it led to obesity,diabetes and heart disease.
“I think it’s amazing that we’re putting so much money into the health system … but really,we’re kind of like the emergency department for people’s tables,” McNamara said.
“We could actually help remove or reduce some of the burden on the health system,if we were recognised as a part of the solution.”
He is also calling on the state government to appoint a food minister,so the state had a coordinated approach to food sovereignty and food security.
Kahli Roberts is moving back in with her mother as rising cost of living makes it impossible for her to afford food and rent.Credit:Eddie Jim
Kahli Roberts,a single parent on a disability pension,is packing up her house and moving into her mother’s home in Queensland because she cannot afford to pay rent on her Doncaster home and put food on the table for her three sons.
“I miss out because I feed the boys first. It’s happened a fair bit for me — I have toast and they have the chicken curry when we get protein from Foodbank. Thank goodness for lentils and two-minute noodles.”
Food insecurity is getting worse,according to the Hunger Report,with 23 per cent of households across the country perceiving they now struggled more often to afford food compared with the previous year.
The cost of food and groceries was the top cause,followed closely by energy and housing.
But only two in five households experiencing food insecurity received food relief help,due to shame and embarrassment,the perception that others were needier and people being unaware of where to get help.
Roberts,who volunteers for the charity,Work for the Soul,said she gets food from Foodbank every week.
“I reach out all the time,I definitely think (the stigma) has lessened in recent times.” But she believes others are reluctant to seek help,which means the level of desperation in the community is hidden. “There is a pride thing I think,you want to be stoic.”
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