Food Bank isn’t a Covid-19 victim

They are still operating, but now have an oversupply of food

Rockhampton Foodbank manager Mal Holmes.

IT’S business as usual at the Rockhampton Food Bank in Park Avenue, despite the coronavirus pandemic closing many other businesses down.

Manager and founder Mal Holmes said it had been quiet, however, as most people mistakenly thought they had been forced to shut.

Normally they would have 120 families collect boxes each week but in the past week they would have been lucky to crack 50.

“We need the people we look after to know we are still open,” he said.

Still getting their normal deliveries and supplies, the lack of customers has meant they have extra stock.

“We do have an oversupply of food at the moment,” Mal said.

“We are giving out as much as we can, we don’t want things going off.”

They have also been able to get in products that the major supermarkets are unable to, including eggs and hand sanitisers.

They do have precautions in place for social distancing and are only allowing one to two customers in the shed at a time. They have, however, had to cancel their community neighbourhood BBQs.

The Food Bank is open to the public on Fridays but if you are in trouble in the meantime, give them a call and they will help.

Boxes are $50 and give customers more than $200 of food including high quality meat.

“The people who pay the $50 goes towards other people who can’t afford a box,” Mal said.

Originally published as