South Australia’s hungriest suburbs and towns based on Foodbank data

The issue of food poverty is becoming increasingly prevalent across South Australia with three areas in particular the hardest hit — and worryingly, charities are only meeting two per cent of demand.

Foodbank SA has launched its first mobile food service to assist hard to reach areas where there are no food hubs for the disadvantaged. Picture: Tait Schmaal.

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The state’s most food poor suburbs — Seaford, Craigmore and Port Adelaide — are among three regions needing an extra 100,000 meals a month to feed hungry mouths, Foodbank SA data reveals.

The new figures viewed by the Sunday Mail map for the first time the degree of food poverty by geographical area.

Most alarming, Foodbank SA has told the Sunday Mail, are hunger hot spots — suburbs and towns where less than two per cent of demand is being met by charities.

Foodbank SA CEO Greg Pattinson said he was aware high unemployment, rising utility costs and a lack of affordable housing were contributing factors to food insecurity in regional towns like Victor Harbor and Murray Bridge, but was surprised by the amount of food poverty in the City of Campbelltown and the City of Charles Sturt, particularly pockets of Woodville.

“We now know there is a large need in these areas and we are trying to get more food to these hot spots but distribution costs are one limiting factor,” Mr Pattinson said.

Refugee support group Welcome Australia, in Bowden, said a steady stream of asylum seekers and Syrian refugees from the city’s western suburbs access food donations each week because they are living below the poverty line with no or little support from the federal government.

Port Adelaide based not-for-profit group OARS Community Transitions says up to 20 per cent of its clients who have been released from prison are suffering from food insecurity weeks after leaving prison.

In the next four weeks, Foodbank SA’s first Mobile Food Hub will travel to Port Adelaide to serve up 4000 meals each visit.

Mr Pattinson said the mobile service would later this year visit Gawler, the Barossa, Murray Bridge, and Victor Harbour, but it won’t be enough.

“We need more vans — we think that we could have another one permanently placed in the Riverland.”

But, at a start-up cost of about $120,000 for each mobile food hub, the charity is limited in its resources, while also struggling to meet demand at its fixed food hubs — there are several across the state.

Mr Pattinson said Foodbank’s newest food hub in Christies Beach was serving more than 50 families a day and still falling short by tens of thousands of meals each month in surrounding suburbs.

He said the charity relied on limited funding from the state government, local fundraising and donations.

ElectraNet has sponsored the running costs of Foodbank’s SA new mobile food hub until 2021.

HUNGER HOT SPOTS: Regions with least demand being met by charities

Fluerieu – 11,349 extra meals needed each month (1.1% demand met)

Murray Bridge – 9583 (1.7%)

Campbelltown – 15410 (2%)

Barossa – 6594 (7%)

Loxton, Renmark, Barmera – 7104 (10-27%)

Port Adelaide – 7666 (28.7%)

TOP FIVE FOOD POOR REGIONS:

Onkaparinga – 38,926 extra meals needed/month (Seaford worst off)

Playford - 32,921 (Craigmore and Smithfield)

Port Adelaide Enfield – 28358 (Port Adelaide)

Salisbury – 25450

Charles Sturt – 18846

Source: Foodbank SA 2017/18 figures