Food relief agency SecondBite reports big rise in demand for meals from charity partners
Many vulnerable Victorians rely on meals provided by food relief agencies like SecondBite, but the coronavirus pandemic has led to a huge spike in demand for the critical service.
VIC News
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Food relief agencies are experiencing a huge demand for services amid the coronavirus pandemic.
SecondBite, which “rescues” food and then passes it on to charities for meals, said that more than 80 per cent of its charity partners had reported a rise in requests.
Melbourne charity Port Phillip Community Group has relocated its food relief operations to nearby football club rooms to keep up with demand.
The group’s executive officer Karen Sait said COVID-19 meant the organisation went from
feeding hundreds of people a week to feeding thousands.
“We typically support people with complex needs underpinned by poverty, family violence and lack of education and support,” she said.
“But now we find the newly-unemployed, students, people on bridging visas and people
who are falling through the cracks of assistance programs are coming to us for help.”
Coles is supporting SecondBite’s winter appeal to ensure nutritious meals are getting to vulnerable Australians.
SecondBite board member and TV personality Matt Preston said all funds would go towards the organisation’s ongoing operating expenses to deliver food.
“There’s never been a more important time in our history to support SecondBite as we move into an increasingly difficult economic period for millions of Australians,” he said.
Coles CEO Steven Cain said: “SecondBite makes a genuine difference to people who are doing it tough in our community, so we wanted to launch a winter appeal to help them with this important work.”
For the next two weeks, customers can buy a $2 SecondBite donation card at any Coles
supermarket.
More than 765 Coles stores across Australia donate surplus fresh food via SecondBite to around 1100 community food programs helping Australians facing tough times.
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