'Meals for Mates' tackles rural hunger

A new charity initiative will fight against hunger in Australia’s rural and regional communities.

The ‘Meals for Mates’ program will see the Aussie Farmers Foundation help Foodbank provide more than a million meals over the next 12 months for rural Australians in need.

Aussie Farmers Foundation was established in 2010 by online food business Aussie Farmers Direct to support assistance services in rural and regional Australia. Executive Officer Julia Hunter said thousands of rural families regularly struggle to access sufficient food.

The Aussie Farmers Foundation will fund Meals for Mates for an initial two years through a cash grant. Aussie Farmers Direct will also support Meals for Mates through product donations and fundraising activities, encouraging suppliers and farmers to donate any excess fresh produce to Foodbank.

“We already have a number of our generous farmers donating surplus produce to Foodbank and we’d love to see more join in. We think Meals for Mates creates a fantastic platform for Aussie Farmers Direct customers to join with our farmers and help out people in need across rural Australia,” Hunter said.

Foodbank Australia CEO Geoff Starr said those living in remote areas are at greater risk of food insecurity than their urban counterparts as, on average, food is up to 50% more expensive in remote communities.

The Meals for Mates program will contribute towards Foodbank’s Key Staples Program, which provides key items such as breakfast cereals, milk, pasta and sausages to rural and regional areas, along with the fruit and vegetable donations from farmers.

Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation, providing 60 million meals a year to over 2400 charities and 1000 schools around the country. Through its network of over 700 partners — including farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers — Foodbank provides 76% of the food distributed to charities and food rescue organisations throughout Australia.