A Geelong food relief group will be able to help feed more families in need, thanks to funding within the state budget.
Premier Jacinta Allan visited Geelong Foodshare on Friday, May 23, to announce more support for food relief groups across the state through the 2025-26 state budget.
Ms Allan said $18 million was allocated within the budget, along with a $9 million investment into the Community Food Relief Program, to help deliver more food to families in need.
“It puts a meal on people’s tables, and it means kids get a meal at the end of each day. More and more Victorians are turning to food relief agencies to support them,” she said.
“We have been focused on what matters most for working people and families, looking at how we can continue to provide real support with cost-of-living pressures right now.
“At the heart of all of this is about supporting working people and families when they need it the most with the dignity of having a meal, with the respect and understanding that they’re doing it tough.”
Geelong Foodshare chief executive Andrew Schauble said the equivalent of 2.2 million meals were delivered to families during the 2023-24 financial year, with demand continuing to grow.
“We support a significant number of communities, so each of our hubs provide over 55 to 60 agencies with free bulk food,” he said.
“We need to keep the freezers running and the lights on while supporting our volunteers with safety measures and good staff to help us keep everyone safe.
“Last financial year, we saw a 33 per cent increase in the food we’re distributing, and then this financial year, we saw it go up again. So, it’s a real challenge.
“We’re finding a lot of people are making choices between heating, feeding their kids and other things… and we do see that the need (for Geelong Foodshare’s services) will keep increasing.
“We’re really grateful for the support which will be for over two years as well as it helps us plan a bit more, which is which is really exciting rather than being on the short-term chain.”
