Food for thought: Regional charities no longer slugged $50 per pallet

It’s estimated there’ll be savings of up to $150 a week for those distributing food.  

Deputy Premier John Barilaro announced the $630,000 funding at a gathering of Foodbank’s charity partners in Lismore on Wednesday. 

It means Charities in rural and regional NSW that receive food supplies from Foodbank NSW & ACT will no longer have to pay a transport fee per delivery, bringing regional charities in line with their city counterparts.

Mr Barilaro said until now, charities in regional and remote areas, which used the services of Foodbank, were paying a $50 delivery fee per pallet of food.

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“This funding support for Foodbank means charities in regional and rural areas will no longer be slugged additional transport fees for the food supplies that feed our most vulnerable,” Mr Barilaro said.

“By helping Foodbank in this way, regional charities will now have more money in their pockets to buy more food.”

An Upper House committee heard last month at least 1 in 12 Australian families don’t have enough food, or can’t afford to buy food once a week.

According to the NSW Council of Social Services, 7 per cent of Australian families is food insecure.

Foodbank NSW & ACT chief executive Gerry Andersen said the new government support means from next month, every pallet delivery to regional charities will be transport-fee free.

“More than 35 per cent of the food distributed by Foodbank NSW & ACT is delivered to charities located in regional NSW,” Mr Andersen said.

“Last year, Foodbank NSW & ACT delivered more than 4,000 tonnes of food to our regional charity partners, which equates to 7.6 million meals.

“Despite these deliveries, those charities need a whopping 41 per cent more to meet demand.

“This support from the NSW Government means on average, our regional charity partners will have an extra $150 every week to put towards food supplies, instead of covering transport costs,” he said.

Allan Hoskins from The Uniting Church in Lismore, which partners with Foodbank, said the relief will be significant.

“This funding will directly benefit the people we serve. It will allow our schools, charities and pantries to access food and provide it for those who are currently missing out,” Mr Hoskins said.