Food relief thrives in Winchelsea

MORE than $30,000 in grants have helped Hesse Rural Health provide food for the hungry in Winchelsea.

Since last year, Give Where You Live Foundation and the health provider have teamed up to address food insecurity in the area.

As recently as last year, food relief was said to be “generally inaccessible” to the Winchelsea community, with Geelong and Colac the only two options to accessing fresh and affordable food.

People in the town had been foregoing meals to afford essential medicines and pay bills.

Now with the service up and running, more people are eating well and creating healthy habits.

The Foodbank is providing meals to an average of 114 people per week.

“Community support for the project has been overwhelming,” the Foundation said.

“People are accessing food relief with this increased supply of affordable and accessible healthier fresh, frozen and chilled foods,” the Foundation said.

“Partnerships across the region have become established with Geelong Food Share and Foodbank Victoria supporting the Winchelsea Foodbank with weekly food deliveries to ensure the shelves are full.”