Life-changing fresh food can go from the land to the dinner table in less than a day thanks to Foodbank Queensland’s Farm to Families Program, which connects some of Queensland’s most bountiful farms with those who need their produce the most.
More than 460,000 households in Queensland experienced food insecurity over the past 12 months.
More than half of those had someone in paid employment, showing just how difficult it can be to provide in the current economic climate.
Enter the Farm to Families Program, which provides a pipeline of delicious fresh produce sourced from farms, businesses or manufacturers because it is not needed or not suitable for supermarket sale.
Once sourced it goes straight from the packing shed to families across Queensland.
Much of the produce that flows to Brisbane and southeast Queensland comes from the fertile soils of the Wide Bay-Burnett region, where farmers in and around Bundaberg work closely with Foodbank Queensland and freight partner Lindsay Transport to shift hundreds of tonnes of food each year.
Some of those farmers and families, like Trevor Cross from Cross Family Farms, have been working with Foodbank Queensland for more than a decade.
His farm alone provided 850 tonnes to Foodbank Queensland in the past year alone.
“We’ve been a Foodbank donor for almost 12 years, starting off with little amounts and progressing to fairly large volumes of 900 to 1300 tons per year,” Trevor said.
“We started seeing the results of where the food was going to and it was a good gesture, because eventually everybody needs a hand.”
Greensill Farming, which grows sweet potatoes and sugarcane near the Bundaberg coast, has been working with Foodbank Queensland for around five years.
The team said they believed in helping and supporting communities and those who need a helping hand, saying their sweet potatoes were just as delicious no matter what they looked like on the outside.
“Working with Foodbank allows us to continue that sense of community we have locally but also extend it down to Brisbane and southeast Queensland to hopefully provide some really good fruit and vegetables for those in need,” a Greensill representative said.
“There are many shapes and sizes (of produce). We can have extremely small, sweet potatoes that are about 200-300g, right up to ones that are five or six kilos that provide a great opportunity to donate to Foodbank.
“Every sweet potato, no matter how big or small, is exactly the same when it comes to a nutrition perspective.”
Greensill said the partnership with Lindsay Transport, whose famous trucks can be seen up and down the highway right across the state, made the transport and logistics a breeze, meaning food that was plucked from the ground in the morning could be in Brisbane by night.
“Donating to Foodbank could not be easier,” the representative said.
“It’s wonderful working with both the Foodbank team directly and Lindsay’s (Lindsay Transport) from a freight perspective.
“We can literally pick up the phone, the truck pulls up whenever we desire, and that produce can be in Brisbane within four to eight hours.”
Foodbank Queensland CEO Jess Watkinson said the ongoing support of the farming and agriculture community was literally changing lives around the state and thanked everyone who was able to contribute.
“We all know Queenslanders have big hearts, but we are so lucky to have so many supportive farms and businesses who are part of our Farm to Families Program,” Jess said.
“Farmers must endure the elements, floods and droughts, and have so much on their plate already.
“So, it just goes to show how incredible they are to be worrying about what people in need have on their plate.
“It puts us in a position to salvage amazing, fresh produce that might otherwise go to waste.
“And thanks to the generous support of Lindsay Transport, who work around the clock to bring this food to the table, we can make sure growing families get every chance to have healthy and nutritious meals.”
Foodbank Queensland encourages farmers just like Greensill Farming to join the program and become food donors to help tackle food insecurity in Queensland.
if just one farmer can donate 800 tonne of produce how much gets thrown away nationally. a lot of that is thanks to cosmetic standards from the retailers. there is nothing wrong with the produce.