Feed Geelong: Accessing food during COVID-19

The Give Where You Live Foundation operates in Victoria in Australia which has experienced some of the strictest and tightest lockdown requirements across the globe, as we sought to gain control of the COVID-19 outbreak in our community. Whilst the COVID outlook for the region is positive, frontline services and those providing immediate food relief needs continue to experience unprecedented demand. The rising cost of living and other economic challenges are also starting to pose significant strain on services and the community as a whole. With the ongoing challenges being experienced across the community, the food relief sector continues to experience high levels of demand, with this continued increase becoming the new normal and unlikely to change in the short term. Since November 2021 the Give Where You Live Foundation has continued to provide support in a number of ways:

• Continued collation and publication of information on where people can access food relief across our region: https://www.feedgeelong.com.au/where-can-i-eat Updates were made to ensure clearer information over the Christmas period to assist people who need help at that critical time when many services are actually closed.

• Redevelopment and expansion of our food relief and material aid voucher program to better support the needs of community and increase funding to where it is needed most (information below). Between January and June we distributed vouchers totalling over $128,500 to meet emergency relief demand.

• Extended our social media campaign to promote food relief agencies available across our region, and also other critical services, over the Christmas period Give Where You Live Foundation continues to monitor the current situation and needs of community, and adapt our response to better meet the increase demand at this time.

You can find out more about the impact of COVID-19 on the local food relief sector here: https://www.feedgeelong.org.au/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Food-for-Thought-August-2021.pdf

Community Choice vouchers:

The Give Where You Live Foundation has been delivering an emergency relief voucher program since the Pyramid Building Society collapse in 1990. This crisis decimated savings across Geelong leaving many struggling with debt and financial loss. In response to this increasing need across the region, the Foundation developed the Direct Assistance Voucher Program. This program, still running today, provides access to basic necessities (like food, material aid, and support for prescriptions) to people experiencing crisis across our region.

The Foundation works with 25 local community agencies to assist in distributing vouchers to those experiencing crisis. Between Jan – June 2022 vouchers totalling $128,500 were distributed. Over the past two year we have seen a 24% increase in demand for food relief, and a 55% increase in demand for material aid. At present we are not in a position to fully meet this demand. During the January – June period the vouchers assisted roughly 2965 households, supporting 2972 adults, 1863 children and 600 young people. The majority of people supported were single parents (24%), 20% people with disability and 10% from culturally diverse communities. The majority (80%) were recipients of Government benefits and unable to make ends meet with rising cost of living, 33% unemployed and 23% impacted by health issues / bereavement.

Community stories:

Story 1: A family in emergency accommodation were provided with multiple Community Choice vouchers. The family members were extremely stressed for money due to having a limited income. They were so appreciative of the vouchers and had a very positive experience buying food from the Geelong Food Relief Centre who were so friendly and kind. The family has now been successful for Transition Housing, and when they find long-term housing intend to give back to the community as are so grateful for the help they received.

Story 2: A young mother who fled family violence moved into a new home and needed to utilise all her funds to just take possession of the property (rent and bond). Having left her previous home with next to nothing, Community Choice vouchers helped her to replenish basic food stables in her new home plus a few extras. Having access to the Community Choice food voucher enabled her kids 'to attend school with snacks like the other kids have'.