Did you know an estimated 717,000 meals are provided by the food relief system in Geelong each year?
With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still being felt across much of the G21 region, many food relief agencies are continuing to see an increase in demand compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
The effects of the pandemic, including a loss of employment, reduction in work hours, and government assistance not being available to every member in need across our community, meant many people needed to access food relief for the first time.
Our region is fortunate to have a wide network of agencies offering a range of food relief, including groceries, pre-cooked meals, community meals, and culturally appropriate meals. These options allow people accessing food relief the dignity of choice, but also means they can eat food similar to what they would if they weren’t accessing food relief.
While the food relief network in Geelong is very extensive, it can also be overwhelming for someone who is accessing food relief for the first time.
This is why the Give Where You Live Foundation created Where You Can Eat.
Where You Can Eat is the Foundation’s way of collating information about all of the food relief agencies across our region and providing you with up-to-date information on when, where, how, and what food relief you can access.
“Having access to a good supply of nutritious food is a human right. It doesn’t matter where you are. As a developed, prosperous city, we should all be working to change the food insecurity in our region,” said Foundation CEO, Bill Mithen.
For many people in our community food relief is a vital part of their survival. However, food is not just survival – it’s comfort, it’s health, it’s culture and it’s connection.
Which is why we need to make food relief as accessible as possible.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that at any point in time, we could all find ourselves in a situation where we may struggle to put food on the table.
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing food insecurity, it’s important to know there is help out there. Share this resource with friends, family and among your social networks to let people know the range of options that are available in our community.
Click here to see Where You Can Eat.