Hunger in Australia
The Problem
- 11% of Australian adults and 12% of children live in poverty, and the numbers are growing.
- 2.2 million Australians don't have enough money to take care of basic needs such as housing, clothing and food.
- 13% of Australian children live in jobless households
- In Australia up to a million children don't always get enough to eat
- The aged, 'singles' and the 'working poor' have become the new battlers in Australia
Hunger is a largely hidden social problem and many victims suffer in silence. The victims could be a child, unemployed or elderly person in your street.
Each year, two million Australians will rely on food relief and around half of them will be children. These children will often go to school without breakfast, or to bed without dinner.
What is Foodbank doing about it?
Foodbank is the largest hunger relief organisation in Australia, distributing donated food in 5 states and 6 regions. Foodbank acts as a conduit between the food & grocery industry's donations and the welfare sectors' needs. 2,200 welfare agencies rely on Foodbank as their pantry, helping stretch their dollars further.
In 2009/10, Foodbank distributed 19 million kilos of donated food and groceries. This made around 25 million meals, which helped feed 70,000 people a day.
How can you help?
If your company has food and groceries that are surplus to commercial demand, slow moving, short dated, package damaged or unsaleable, please donate them to Foodbank and we'll ensure they go to someone in need.
Please visit our Donating Food and Groceries page for more details.
If you're not part of the food industry, your company can donate goods, services, funding or time and Foodbank will turn your donation into a force for positive social change. If you can donate your time or money, Foodbank will triple the value of each.
If you would like to contribute to Foodbank in any other way, please visit our Be Involved page for more details.
