HELP NEEDED: Torquay Food Aid seeks support ahead of Christmas

TORQUAY Food Aid is urgently appealing for support as the Christmas season approaches.

The organisation is seeing a weekly increase in demand, especially for personal hygiene products and pantry essentials such as washing powder, cereal, and coffee.

Every Wednesday, Torquay Food Aid offers its clients a week’s supply of pantry staples, alongside milk, bread, fruits, and vegetables.

Committee member Sally Bowen said the present economic climate was challenging.

“As a charity we rely on donations to keep operating the way we do, and in the current economic climate the purse strings are tight.”

Earlier this month, the Give Where You Live Foundation published its “Food for Thought” Research Report, which highlighted the growing demand and obstacles food relief agencies faced in the G21 region.

The data revealed 90 per cent of Geelong’s food relief agencies saw a spike in service demand this year. Moreover, 63 per cent stated that client needs have grown more complex.

The top reasons for seeking food relief include cost of living pressures (77 per cent), low income (60 per cent), unemployment (60 per cent), reliance on government benefits (57 per cent), and single-income families (57 per cent).

Every few weeks, Torquay Food Aid sources items from Food Bank Melbourne and gets weekly deliveries from Geelong Food Relief.

Items such as shampoo, body wash, conditioner, cereal, cheese, and yogurt haven’t been in stock for months.

“In the lead up to Christmas we expect the demand for our services to increase as it does every year,” Ms Bowen said.

“The week of Christmas we supply items such as Christmas cake, plum pudding, chocolates, custard, shortbread vegetables and tinned ham so that our clients can enjoy a Christmas lunch just like everyone else.”

Additionally, Torquay Food Aid arranges a gift table where clients can select presents for themselves or their family.

“We live in a very supportive community and people do respond to our social media call outs, but we understand in the current economic climate everyone is feeling the pinch.

“We receive the support of some very generous local businesses, who without, we could not continue to operate as we do, but we are still stretched.”

Peachs, Bakers Delight North Torquay, Surf Coast Meats, Jan Juc Milk Bar and the Sands are all supporters of Torquay Food Aid.

“I think many people are under the assumption that Torquay is a very affluent society, but the truth is there are some who are doing it really tough for various

reasons. We don’t discriminate, nor do we judge as everyone has their own story.”

To donate, there are drop-off boxes at Woolworths North Torquay and IGA Torquay.

Contributions are also welcome on Wednesdays from 11am-3pm at 2 Pimelea Way, Torquay, beside the Fire Station. Monetary gifts can be sent to their Bendigo Bank account.