SHEPPARTON Foodshare have had their calls for a new home answered, with the Federal Government promising $600,000 to the not-for-profit organisation.
Shepparton Foodshare deputy chair, Jim O’Connor, welcomed the funding commitment.
“For the past nine years, Foodshare has operated from accommodation provided based on extreme generosity, however never with a formal tenure agreement,” Mr O’Connor said.
“Without appropriate and secure accommodation Foodshare simply would not be able to continue to provide food to the most vulnerable in our community across the Goulburn Valley.
The organisation has been distributing fresh and nutritious food to those in need in the Goulburn Valley since 2012, feeding those who would otherwise go without.
“As it has shown time and time again, Foodshare has played a pivotal role not only here in Shepparton but across the wider region for almost a decade,” said federal member for Nicholls, Damian Drum.
“When Greater Shepparton last year faced its most troublesome period during the COVID-19 pandemic, Foodshare was at the forefront of the community’s response, coming to the aid of many who had been forced into isolation.
“I have been in discussions with Foodshare for some time about its need for a new home, and today is the culmination of those discussions.”
The pandemic has only reinforced the vital role the service plays in the region, with Foodshare reporting a 70 percent spike in demand, distributing more than 380 tonnes of food across the community.
Deputy prime minister for minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, Barnaby Joyce, said, “No one should go hungry, but sometimes that is beyond a person’s control. This service is all about ensuring families and individuals who have fallen on tough times can access the food they need to live.
“Ensuring Foodshare has a facility to operate out of into the future is the least we can do for a service that does so much for so many across this region.”
