Australia’s Food Crisis: ‘From homeless on the street to people living in your street’
- Replies 18
As the cost of living in Australia continues to rise, so does the number of people struggling to make ends meet. One story shared recently has highlighted just how severe this problem has become.
Matt Tilley from hunger relief charity Foodbank Australia spoke to ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday about a conversation he had with a mother who was collecting food from one of their mobile supermarkets.
‘A mum who I saw last week was collecting some food off our mobile supermarket bus said, “how long can I eat this yoghurt after it's expired?”.’
‘I said, “I wouldn't risk it, why?” and she said, “I'm hoping to keep it for Christmas Day”.’
‘That was going to be her treat for her kids on Christmas Day… some yoghurt,’ he said.
When discussing this story on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, Journalist Amy Remeikis was brought to tears.
‘We talk about inflation and cost of living on a political stage … but this is actually really impacting people,’ she said.
‘The fact that we have kids who are going to get expired yoghurt as a treat on Christmas in one of the richest countries in the world is an abomination, and we really, really need to address this.’
Unfortunately, stories like that are becoming more and more common, according to Foodbank CEO Brianna Casey.
‘I wish I could say that story was an isolated case, but unfortunately, we hear stories like that each and every day,’ she said.
‘We're hearing about people who are buying prepared meals on Afterpay because they can't afford fresh fruits and vegetables and they can't afford ingredients; we're hearing about pensioners who have reduced their diets down to one or two at most meals per day because they can't make the pension stretch far enough to cover their accommodation needs as well as their food needs; we're hearing about fathers who are being very creative in the way that they are telling their children that they're not hungry and don't need to eat that night when simply there isn't enough food for them to provide for their family.’
Just last week, a pensioner with $20 to her name bravely spoke with Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Q&A but he couldn’t provide a straight answer.
In an interview with SBS News, Ms Casey said the charity is providing food relief to about a million people across Australia each month - many of whom are employed but still can't make ends meet due to the rising cost of living. A report released by Foodbank last month puts a number to this crisis – a third of Australians are experiencing food insecurity.
The other reason people are struggling is low income, according to Ms Casey; 54 per cent of households who require food assistance are employed but earn too little money to keep up with expenses like groceries and rent/mortgage payments.
‘When we look at the types of people who are in need of food relief, in the past, there might have been an assumption that they're homeless people living on the streets - now, it's people living in your street, and that's the fundamental difference,’ she said.
Are you experiencing food insecurity?
Foodbank is the largest food assistance organisation in Australia, and they are currently functioning on a massive scale along with a variety of other front-line charities that are feeding underprivileged Australians.
Foodbank distributes more than 70 per cent of the food to organisations across the country that provide food relief.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you or someone you know is experiencing food insecurity.
Foodbank QLD
179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170, Australia
+61 7 3395 8422
Foodbank NSW & ACT
50 Owen St, Glendenning NSW 2761, Australia
+61 2 9756 3099
Foodbank SA
377 Cross Rd, Edwardstown SA 5039, Australia
+61 8 8351 1136
Foodbank VIC
4/2 Somerville Rd, Yarraville VIC 3013, Australia
+61 3 9362 8300
Foodbank WA
23 Abbott Rd, Perth Airport WA 6105, Australia
+61 8 9258 9277
Foodbank TAS
4-8 Sunmont St, Derwent Park TAS 7173, Australia
+61 3 6274 1052
On a personal note, members, I really want to urge you not to feel ashamed if you need help. There was a time not that long ago when I had to rely on both food banks and charities. Times are tough but together, we can get through it.
If you ever need help finding resources, please reach out to us and we would be happy to help you research. Stay safe, members.
Matt Tilley from hunger relief charity Foodbank Australia spoke to ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday about a conversation he had with a mother who was collecting food from one of their mobile supermarkets.
‘A mum who I saw last week was collecting some food off our mobile supermarket bus said, “how long can I eat this yoghurt after it's expired?”.’
‘I said, “I wouldn't risk it, why?” and she said, “I'm hoping to keep it for Christmas Day”.’
‘That was going to be her treat for her kids on Christmas Day… some yoghurt,’ he said.
When discussing this story on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, Journalist Amy Remeikis was brought to tears.
‘We talk about inflation and cost of living on a political stage … but this is actually really impacting people,’ she said.
‘The fact that we have kids who are going to get expired yoghurt as a treat on Christmas in one of the richest countries in the world is an abomination, and we really, really need to address this.’
Unfortunately, stories like that are becoming more and more common, according to Foodbank CEO Brianna Casey.
‘I wish I could say that story was an isolated case, but unfortunately, we hear stories like that each and every day,’ she said.
More and more Australians are turning to food banks. Image Credit: Shutterstock
‘We're hearing about people who are buying prepared meals on Afterpay because they can't afford fresh fruits and vegetables and they can't afford ingredients; we're hearing about pensioners who have reduced their diets down to one or two at most meals per day because they can't make the pension stretch far enough to cover their accommodation needs as well as their food needs; we're hearing about fathers who are being very creative in the way that they are telling their children that they're not hungry and don't need to eat that night when simply there isn't enough food for them to provide for their family.’
Just last week, a pensioner with $20 to her name bravely spoke with Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Q&A but he couldn’t provide a straight answer.
In an interview with SBS News, Ms Casey said the charity is providing food relief to about a million people across Australia each month - many of whom are employed but still can't make ends meet due to the rising cost of living. A report released by Foodbank last month puts a number to this crisis – a third of Australians are experiencing food insecurity.
The other reason people are struggling is low income, according to Ms Casey; 54 per cent of households who require food assistance are employed but earn too little money to keep up with expenses like groceries and rent/mortgage payments.
‘When we look at the types of people who are in need of food relief, in the past, there might have been an assumption that they're homeless people living on the streets - now, it's people living in your street, and that's the fundamental difference,’ she said.
Are you experiencing food insecurity?
Foodbank is the largest food assistance organisation in Australia, and they are currently functioning on a massive scale along with a variety of other front-line charities that are feeding underprivileged Australians.
Foodbank distributes more than 70 per cent of the food to organisations across the country that provide food relief.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you or someone you know is experiencing food insecurity.
Foodbank QLD
179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170, Australia
+61 7 3395 8422
Foodbank NSW & ACT
50 Owen St, Glendenning NSW 2761, Australia
+61 2 9756 3099
Foodbank SA
377 Cross Rd, Edwardstown SA 5039, Australia
+61 8 8351 1136
Foodbank VIC
4/2 Somerville Rd, Yarraville VIC 3013, Australia
+61 3 9362 8300
Foodbank WA
23 Abbott Rd, Perth Airport WA 6105, Australia
+61 8 9258 9277
Foodbank TAS
4-8 Sunmont St, Derwent Park TAS 7173, Australia
+61 3 6274 1052
On a personal note, members, I really want to urge you not to feel ashamed if you need help. There was a time not that long ago when I had to rely on both food banks and charities. Times are tough but together, we can get through it.
If you ever need help finding resources, please reach out to us and we would be happy to help you research. Stay safe, members.
You can watch Amy Remeikis on Insiders below:
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but it's not for me to tell but for people to research for themselves
