Drydale Family Support Foodbank see huge rise in demand

THE Drysdale Family Support Foodbank is calling on the community for assistance as the service experiences a spike in demand due to a rise in the cost of living.

Drysdale Foodbank coordinator Jake Hogendoorn said more people on the Bellarine and in the wider community were seeking assistance.

An increase in rental costs, the rise in fuel prices, and the jump in grocery value, have all been factors that have brought more people towards the service in 2022.

“We are seeing people come to Foodbank who never thought they would have to due to a huge hike in the cost of living due to floods and other factors” Hogendoorn said.

“This week we had three new families come through the service who couldn’t afford their vegetables and fruits due to the big rise in grocery prices.

“People’s need and situations change, but we certainly want to make sure that these people can all feel valued and cared for.”

The Drysdale Family Support Foodbank group consists of 15 volunteers who have been working tirelessly to make large food hampers to assist with keeping people on their feet.

The packs contain fruit, vegetables, and non-perishable items such as eggs, bread, margarine, frozen meats and bathroom items.

The food hamper usually cost around $150, however with the generosity of the community through donations and support thus far, the Drysdale Family Support Foodbank have provided the parcels for $35.

“The DFS Foodbank supplies about 5 days food for a household with these food parcels,” Hogendoorn said.

“Some people come every week, every fortnight or even monthly to access the service.

“Every time they come, we sit and have a conversation with them to find out how we can assist, and then from there potentially point them in the direction of other services that could also be of assistance.

“We hope to distribute over 1600 of the food parcels this year to keep up with demand to care for our community.”

Mr Hogendoorn said the work of the Drysdale Family Support Foodbank isn’t possible or sustainable without the support of it’s partners who enable the program to run through monetary donations and gift packs of foods.

“We receive major support from the North Geelong Food Relief Centre, Foodbank Victoria, Second Bite, Feed Me Bellarine, The Springdale Community Garden and Central Baptist Garden who provide beautiful fresh seasonal produce,” Hogendoorn said.

“We can’t thank them all enough for their support and we are always looking for more support to keep our valued service running.”

The Drysdale Family Support Foodbank encourage people in the community to be generous and donate what they can.

Donations can be made to Drysdale Family Support, Bendigo Bank, BSB 633 000, ACCOUNT 118464429.

Donations of food can be taken to Drysdale Community Church, 276 – 290 Jetty Road, Curlewis.