News

Foodbank comes to MDAS Kerang

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 04:22:00

KERANG’S Aboriginal community now has access to a Foodbank and it’s helping to ease the pain of feeding the mob when times get tough.

Thanks to the efforts of the Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS), the Foodbank Victoria service is now available for people to access non-perishable groceries when they are finding it difficult to make ends meet.
MDAS Senior Health Worker Melanie Lane, who is coordinating the MDAS Foodbank initiative at Kerang, said the project aimed to fill a need for the local community.
“Providing the Foodbank service here at MDAS is one small way we can help the families and young people we know are struggling in the community,” Ms Lane said.
Members of the local Aboriginal community are able to visit MDAS in Kerang any weekday and select what they need from the items available.
People are asked to access the service once a week only to ensure the food and resources available help as many people as possible.
“We’ve got pasta, sauces, rice and a whole range of non-perishable items available, so people can come in and choose what will best suit them and their family,” Ms Lane said.
Foodbank is a charity operating across Australia and is particularly active in Victoria.
Each year, four million Australians – 18 per cent of the population – are ‘food insecure’, meaning they have been in a situation where they have run out of food and have been unable to buy more.
That’s where Foodbank comes in – it is a coordinated resource that provides food and grocery items to more than 470 organisations running food relief programs. These programs help in excess of 100,000 Victorians each and every month.
“We have just started in Kerang, so we will keep an eye on how it goes over the coming weeks and, if the demand is there, we will continue to offer the Foodbank service,” Ms Lane said.
Members of the Kerang Aboriginal community can access the Foodbank at MDAS Kerang from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, and from 9am to 4pm on Fridays.  Foodbank is also available in Kerang through St Vincent de Paul and in Cohuna through the Neighborhood House.
For more information on MDAS Foodbank, people can contact MDAS Kerang on 5450 3019.