Funding for food relief

Food relief services across the region can share in one-off state government grants of up to $75,000 to continue to supply food to people in need.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Disability, Ageing and Carers MP Luke Donnellan announced more than $11.3 million to boost food relief activities for vulnerable Victorians.

A new $5 million Community Food Relief Fund will provide one-off grants of up to $75,000 to support local community organisations supplying food to Victorians in need during the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will assist with a range of challenges, including helping develop innovative food relief delivery models to support COVID safe practices.

“We want Victoria’s food relief system to be able to support people when and where they need it, in a COVID safe way,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“Even as our case numbers fall, we are extending the emergency food relief program for Victorians in mandatory quarantine so that people can still safely stay at home and stop the spread of coronavirus.”

VicHealth data showed almost 1 in 6 Victorians were worried about being able to afford to put food on the table during the first lockdown, up from 1 in 11 in February 2020 and stated that food insecurity is a significant public health challenge, requiring support across sectors, and initiatives from grassroots to statewide.

The State Government will establish a Food Relief Taskforce to bring together key industry leaders and representatives from all tiers of government to ensure food supply and distribution is coordinated and targeted to areas most in need. The funding boost will also extend the existing emergency food relief program for Victorians in mandatory self-isolation due to coronavirus.

The government provides Foodbank Victoria with over $3.6 million support each year – this vital funding provides 140,000 Victorians with food every month through more than 470 charity partners.