Demand for food relief is soaring but one community organisation has received a big boost to its efforts.
The Geeveston Community Centre Pantry provides grocery staples for locals and with the cost of living squeezing people’s finances, the need for help is surging.
GeCo Centre Manager Nicole Watt said over the past 12 months, demand for GeCo’s food-relief program increased by 190 per cent.
She recently put out a call for help to local MP and Tasmanian Labor leader Dean Winter, who passed on the message on to Tassal.
Tassal is now providing $7500 across two years to help keep the GeCo pantry stocked up.
“This really gives us the certainty that we need to be able to budget for the future,” Ms Watt said.
“Demand for food relief has never been higher in our community.
“So many people are doing it really tough at the moment.”
She said food relief also helped people connect with other services and stay connected.
Tom Middleton, Tassal’s general manager for corporate affairs and community said the team at Tassal are happy to help out.
“Tassal has been operating in the Huon for more than 30 years and we are proud to be a part of this community,” he said.
“This is a really important service for people in the local area, particularly when a lot of people are doing it tough.
“Nicole and her team do an amazing job and we’re delighted to be able to support them as part of our community program.”
Higher costs are hurting not just households but also community organisations, with GeCo recently forced into selling its community bus that was used for excursions and a range of services.
GeCo’s food-relief program distributes non-perishable groceries for people to cook at home, with a list of preferred staple items.
Anyone wanting to make donations can contact GeCo on 6297 1616 or online at geeveston.org.au.
