Foodbank Queensland launches permanent base in Townsville

With more North Queenslanders than ever struggling to put food on the table, a new distribution centre is set to provide immediate assistance to more than 2000 families across Townsville and beyond.

Foodbank Queensland CEO Jess Watkinson (centre), with Megan McBaron and Kelly O'Shea. Picture: Evan Morgan

With more North Queenslanders than ever struggling to put food on the table, a new distribution centre is set to provide immediate assistance to more than 2000 families across Townsville and beyond.

Foodbank Queensland serves as the ‘pantry’ for charity groups across Queensland, providing 13 million kilograms of food through 350 community partners, as well as running free school breakfast programs.

Stocked with canned goods, soups, spreads and more, the warehouse in Mount St John will serve as the middle man between community groups and food suppliers.

It will also provide a base for food supplies in times of disaster.

The charity has taken over the existing facilities and operations from local charity Food Relief North Queensland, with the help of local businessman Brad Webb.

Supporting Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Mt Isa and surrounding areas, the current warehouse will be short term while they work with Webb Property Development to build a purpose built facility within the next three years.

Foodbank Queensland CEO Jess Watkinson (centre), with Megan McBaron and Kelly O'Shea. Picture: Evan Morgan

Foodbank chief executive Jess Watkinson said the recent Food Bank Hunger Report showed that the need for food relief has grown in regional areas like Townsville, and reduced in South East Queensland.

“The gap is widening between regional and urban areas and it’s around accessibility as well as the cost of living factors that impact food insecurity,” she said.

“That’s going to allow us to respond better to both food relief needs in Townsville and North Queensland, but also in responding to disasters as we’ve been recently doing this year in Townsville.”

“Just this year, when floods devastated so much of this area, we saw how vital it is to have food relief in place and ready to roll out when it’s needed.”

Ms Watkinson said Foodbank’s community partners say they are seeing a new cohort of people seeking food relief that haven’t previously.

“There was often a misconception that it is not dual income families, but it is dual income families who are now struggling … With increased costs of rent and everything going up, your grocery budget actually reduces,” she said.

“There’s still a stigma attached to accessing food relief and we want people to really understand that it could be the person sitting next to you at work who’s experiencing food insecurity.”

Foodbank helps more than 150,000 Queenslanders each week with around 93 per cent of their stock donated while the rest is purchased.

“We do have to purchase things like pantry supplies that don’t get donated, but for us 46 per cent of we get is donated by our amazing farmers and is fresh fruit and vegetables,” Ms Watkinson said.

“We couldn’t do it without the generosity of Queenslanders.”

For more information visit the Foodbank website.

Originally published as Foodbank Queensland launches permanent base in Townsville