Food relief urgently needed
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From a makeshift premises under the stage of the local hall, a small group of volunteers is feeding more than 320 local families.
As cost of living spirals and hardship grows, Food Relief Neerim District predict they will see 400 families by the end of the year and, if the trend continues, more than 750 families by 2028.
A trio of submitters recently appealed for funds to develop a five-year transition plan at Baw Baw Shire Council’s special budget submissions meeting.
Needing to secure a new home, attract younger volunteers, improve facilities and gain sponsorship strategies, Paul Ford, Clive Patrickson and Bruce MacDougall believe the $165,000 plan would set up the organisation and secure its long-term future.
“We’re asking the council to financially support that transition where it can,” Mr Ford said.
Mr Ford said the group began with just five families some 14 years ago. It now looks after 320 plus families across Baw Baw - about 1000 people, with 20 per cent of clients coming from Drouin or Warragul.
“We’re seeing a big increase in previously financially secure families that are coming for help,” he said.
Adding it was difficult to increase quality of service from “unsuitable premises under the stage of Algie Hall”, Mr Ford provided a list of costs needed to transition into a new premises.
Mr Patrickson said the meeting had heard examples of people doing it tough and “this is one of those projects that really reflects on that state of affairs today”.
“Our community has an expectation that this is going to take five years to transition to a solid, stable environment,” he said.
If trends continue, Mr Patrickson said they could be assisting more than 750 families by 2028.
“There is a real need to be able to cope with the growth that’s there and not be stuck in makeshift facilities,” he said. “While Algie Hall has been fantastic to get the association
going, it really needs a location of its own.”
Mr MacDougall said the dedicated volunteers had done an amazing job begging and borrowing to assist people doing it tough.
He said the cramped corner under the stage would soon “cease to be an option,” and there were few alternative premises in Neerim South.
“The rental option that has recently come to light is really their only option,” he said. “If we miss out on it, we don’t know where we are going to go next.”
If forced to close its doors, Mr MacDougall said the physical and mental health costs to the community would far outweigh the funds the group now sought.
“This is not just a Neerim South problem, it’s not just a Neerim District problem, this is a shire wide problem that needs a shire solution,” he said.
Mr MacDougall said a council contribution would not alleviate people living out of cars, “but it will ensure they don’t go hungry”.
Distributing between four and five tonnes of food per week, Baw Baw Food Relief treasurer Jim Rohner called for funding support.
“The reality is, it’s cold hard cash that buys the food,” he said.
Mr Rohner said the group, with 109 unpaid volunteers, was Foodbank’s biggest account in a regional area.
He said the service had seen 3379 visits with 150 new recipients in 2021, growing to 4094 visits and 362 new recipients in 2022.
Already this year, they have had 4218 visits and 389 new recipients, equating to 13,500 individual meals.
“With the number of recipients continuing to grow, the increased cost of food, fuel and other overheads, we need more money to buy food to meet the growing demand,” Mr Rohner said.
Inviting councillors to “come and see what we do at the coal face”, he commended it as “an organisation worthy of support and consideration in your budget”.