Food Drive for Foodbank
UPDATE
Our food drive is now finished, together we raised $600 and donated 80kgs of food & toiletries to Foodbank NSW & ACT. This equates to around 1,300 meals for Australians in need.
Although our food drive is over, Foodbank will always need your support. You can visit their Donation Page to make a contribution or read the latest Hunger Report for more information.
Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation providing 77 million meals a year to over 2,400 charities & 2,000 schools around the country. Their mission is to deliver the most food to the most Australians in need in the most efficient way. They provide 74% of the food that is distributed by food relief organisations in Australia.
More than 1 in 5 Australians have experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months. In NSW and the ACT, Foodbank assists 373,000 people per month, 44,000 of these are children.
According to Foodbank’s latest Hunger Report, demand for food relief has risen by 47% on average during Covid-19, with the trend driven by growing numbers of international students and casual workers asking for help.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Recently I caught an episode of Insight on SBS titled “Going Hungry” in which Jenny Brockie holds space for ordinary Australian families who are going hungry.
I was aware that a percentage of the Australian population experience food insecurity, however the statistic that over 20% of Australians have had this experience in the last 12 months really shocked me.
As I watched the program with my full tummy, in my comfortable lounge room, I knew that this was something we could raise awareness about. I also knew, that the majority of people I know would likely have a surplus of non-perishable food in their pantries. With a statistic like 1 in 5, there may also be people in my circles that are experiencing food insecurity themselves but would unlikely to share this with me or other people in their lives.
So, even if it’s a small contribution, I had to make a contribution and raise awareness of this fundamental issue after a year that has been difficult to say the least for so many people.
GOALS
We will be hosting the food drive from Friday 27 November 2020 till Friday 22 January 2021.
We have 2 goals (which we hope to smash with your help).
No. of meals - we would like to supply 400 meals which works out to roughly 200kg of food.
Financial donations - we hope to raise $4,000 for Foodbank
How can you help?
Food donations
Please donate non-perishable items that are still in date that YOU would like to eat, some examples of this include
Canned meat, tuna, beef stew, chilli and soup, dry beans, spreads
Canned fruits, vegetables, juice, pasta sauce, jam
Baking mix, cereal, pasta, rice, noodles
Shelf stable milk, evaporated milk, powdered milk
Personal hygiene items
Financial donations
While it may feel less tangible than donating cans of food, giving money is also very helpful because for every $1 donated, Food Bank can provide $6 worth of food.
Money allows Foodbank the flexibility to buy key staples of food they need that they don’t have in their warehouse. It also cuts down time and cost on transport associated with getting donated food to their warehouse.
What’s next?
We will be sharing updates and reminders on Instagram and via our newsletter.
We are also planning a virtual raffle. If you have an appropriate product or service offering you would like to donate to this cause we would be so grateful.
With love,
Marianna & The Conscious Wealth Creation Team