The vocational visit to Foodbank in Yarraville proved to be a real eye opener for all who attended. Not only did the massive size of the warehouse surprise everyone but they were also shocked at the vast quantity of food items stored for distribution to hundreds of agencies and schools throughout Victoria.
Our host was Chris Scott who is the Operations Manager. He provided us with some staggering stats about the Foodbank business.
Each month, they provide food to over 134,000 Victorians – including over 38,000 children. To do this, they source a range of staple and fresh food items and distribute them through their network of over 900 community partners.
People of all walks of life and at different times need to access food relief. It may be through necessity, difficult times, hardship, drought or fire. As a result, it’s not always those we immediately think of that require food relief. While homelessness is prevalent in 33% of recipients, more commonly the agencies assist low income families, single parent families and the unemployed.
In 2016, their reach doubled in size with the introduction of the School Breakfast Clubs Program, distributing food to 500 of the most disadvantaged primary schools in Victoria.
Click here to see some photos of our visit.
Click here to go to the Foodbank Victoria website.
