One in 10 Australians are now seeking relief, and 1 in 200 people are homeless.

BeefBank supports the homeless and disadvantaged by providing fresh meat to Foodbank Queensland. Foodbank then supply the many community and welfare organisations that are at the forefront of tackling these social issues. A large portion of the recipients of Foodbank support are breakfast programs at schools. These programs are becoming a vital service as one in 30 – a child in almost every classroom – goes to bed or school hungry nearly every day, according to the final report of the Australian Child Wellbeing Project (ACWP).

Why do we need to do this?

Despite almost two decades of economic growth nearly a quarter of the population in Queensland still live in low economic resource households and 12.8% live below the poverty line. The prices of essentials like food, health, education, housing, utilities and transport have climbed so much in recent years that people who are already struggling are susceptible to sudden bill shock and financial disadvantage.

The current economic climate means people are turning to charity who would never have dreamed of seeking such support in the past. So it’s not just traditionally vulnerable groups such as the homeless seeking food relief, but also the aged, single parents and the working poor.

Charities, which only exist to meet this need are experiencing an alarming increase in demand. In the last twelve months Foodbank has experienced an 11% increase in community groups seeking food assistance. Charities report having to turn away 134 people a month on average – 72 of whom are children.

For more information about the homeless in Australia please visit the Homelessness Australia website.

Want to learn more about how we help?

The following video provides more insight into why we started to help: