Toowoomba food hamper charity Loaves and Fishes at risk of closing, needs more donations and customers

A longstanding Toowoomba food bank and hamper service says it is on the brink of closure, a prospect that could affect thousands of struggling families.

A Toowoomba charity that provides food to thousands of southwest Queensland families every month for just $50 says it is just weeks away from shutting its doors.

Loaves and Fishes has revealed it will have to close its doors if it can’t find extra donations or more customers, citing rising rent, electricity and other overhead costs combined with declining demand.

The Newtown organisation, which was founded in 2014, creates $50 hampers for families worth about five times that amount and regularly travels out to nine southwest Queensland towns like Roma, Cunnamulla and St George – a service only it provides.

Each hamper, which fills an entire shopping trolley, includes essential grocery items and a variety of other products based on what can be sourced.

Tamika Andrews, whose mother Kylie Jennings took over the service with husband Michael in 2019, said lower demand, rising costs and difficulties sourcing essential items like pasta were crippling the organisation.

Tamika Andrews with hampers at Loaves and Fishes Care Service, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We’ve seen a decline in (customers), but prices just skyrocketed — Foodbank is one of our main suppliers and they haven’t had the product for us,” she said.

“We’ve had to stock products from Coles and Woolies, so the margins have decreased extraordinarily and it defeats the purpose of making these hampers.

“We’re struggling to pay wages (and) our rent is $10,000 a month — if things keep going, we’ll shut in the coming months.

“Because we’ve started doing our bush runs (to southwest Queensland), our demand has increased.

“But in Toowoomba, it’s decreased — there are people who will look at our hampers and walk out the door.”

While fellow charity FoodAssist also offers smaller hampers for $30 across town, Loaves and Fishes vouchers are regularly bought by state schools, services like St Vincent de Paul’s and government departments like the Department of Child Safety.

The situation is complicated by the fact Loaves and Fishes doesn’t require customers to provide pension or concession cards to access the hampers, which Ms Andrews said ruled them out of government support or grants.

Stewart Limpus collects potatoes for hampers at Loaves and Fishes Care Service, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We don’t receive any government assistance, we’re purely self-funded, which makes it really hard,” she said.

“We have a lot of single-income families, families living off a pension, people with old-age pensions.

“There are a lot of women escaping domestic violence who come in here.

“We’ve got people with five-plus kids who come in for a few hampers but we also have dual income families — we’re a place for everyone.”

Ms Andrews said families who did not consider themselves eligible or situated for low-cost groceries hampers should think about buying one.

Tamika Andrews puts together hampers at Loaves and Fishes Care Service, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“If people came who aren’t necessarily dependent on us, we could then help more people who dependent on us (by staying open),” she said.

“We have a lot of people who come in for the first time who are embarrassed — they think it’s just for people who can’t afford it.

“Just because someone is coming in and buying a hamper, they’re not taking away a hamper.”

Residents can support Loaves and Fishes by either donating through the website, dropping in food or buying a hamper.

The store on Hill Street in Newtown is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm.