Helping ACT and OzHarvest are two of the better-known charities working on the ground to help put food on the table of Canberrans in need. Most ACT residents will have seen OzHarvest’s bright yellow trucks driving around the city.

Brought together through the Food Donation Forum, the trio of Mohammed Ali from Helping ACT, Belinda Barnier from OzHarvest, and Jessica Fordyce, facilitator of the Forum, are banding together with the dream of making sure no Canberran ever goes to sleep without a nourishing meal.

Describing themselves as different parts of the puzzle, the group members have committed to collaborating in 2023 to expand their services. 

The three leaders of the organisations sat down for a chat and a coffee with Canberra Daily about their plans and hopes for the year ahead.  

Striving against the struggle

OzHarvest delivered 362,000 kilograms (362 tonnes) of food in 2022: an increase of 70,000 kilograms from 2021.

While this can be seen as a triumph for the organisation, it also sheds light on the high demand for food donation in the ACT.

The post-pandemic increase in the number of vulnerable Canberrans will continue for some time, said Mr Ali, unless remedial policies are implemented at a government level.

As the organiser of the Food Donation Forum, Ms Fordyce is involved within the food space in Canberra at more of a policy level.

The second Forum was held towards the end of 2022, and she said there was substantial growth within the group and “a lot of new faces”.

The ACT Government sent a few representatives to the second Forum, which Ms Barnier said is “a hell of a lot better than nothing”.

“The three of us pray at the same time that this situation should not prolong in Canberra. We are in affluent city, right? What’s happening here?” Mr Ali said.

OzHarvest lost 40,000 litres of milk between December 2022 and January 2023 due to an incident at Canberra Milk.

Before the worksite accident, OzHarvest averaged 800 litres per week of milk, delivered to Canberrans in need.

“I will find a solution, but literally to be down 800 litres of milk a week, of free milk, really hurts. Milk is a staple,” Ms Barnier said.

Another major hurdle OzHarvest is currently working to overcome is acquiring a new truck. But the main problem is that the truck must be refrigerated, which adds another barrier.

At this stage, their funding from the ACT Government is not adequate to ensure they have all the resources they need, like a new truck.

Although grateful for any funding from the government, Ms Barnier said “It doesn’t give me anything I can work with”.

“We’re doing their work for them [ACT Government]. I’m sorry, but we’re doing the work that no one else wants to do,” Ms Barnier said.

Goals for 2023

“More people to the table,” Ms Barnier responded to the question ‘What do you want to see in 2023?’

“I feel very positive,” she said.

Her key goal for this year is to establish herself as a voice to local government.

“This is my dream: let’s say for 362,000 kilos, I got $1 per kilo – I can’t and don’t and never will sell the food – but if I could get $1 per kilo for transport from government … that would be a game changer,” Ms Barnier said.

Additionally, OzHarvest is introducing education programs into primary and high schools across Canberra, so children can learn about what constitutes good, nutritional food.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough funding for Canberra to receive the one of the three programs, but two – Nest, and Feast – will be rolled out this year.

To get the third program to Canberra – Nourished – Ms Barnier said there would need to be some ACT Government support.

Mr Ali’s goal for 2023 is to expand his team of trucks and drivers and said it would be a “game changer” for Helping ACT.

Additionally, he has ambitions to open a purpose-built facility where his organisation could meet, collaborate with other organisations, and cook meals for the hungry and homeless.

“Our dream is that there are some abandoned schools with ACT Government and it will be not too much on the part of the ACT Government to give us, say, for example, two or three rooms on soft rent,” Mr Ali said, to which Ms Barnier enthusiastically agreed.

“It’s a dream for me that outside on London Circuit, if I can set up a small store permanently,” he said.

Expanding ACT street pantries “on a bigger scale” and breakfast clubs are two more areas Mr Ali is hoping Helping ACT can grow.

“You bleed when you hear that some of the students come without any food from the home. This will go certainly as one of the prime areas this year in 2023,” he said.

Ms Barnier is passionate about not letting any of the elements of vulnerable people “slip between the gaps”.

“I don’t cut off your arm and your leg and say they’re separate entities – it’s part of the whole person. The whole citizen is in trouble -they need nourishing, they need nutrition, they need help, and they need education,” she said. “And that’s why we’re together because we want to see it’s been addressed as a holistic issue, not just a portfolio issue.”

“And from a financial perspective, it is saving government billions of dollars,” Ms Fordyce said.

“The cost of poverty outweighs the costs of these long-term programs that are sustainable and going to break generational poverty.”

How can the public help?

Without substantial government funding, both Helping ACT and OzHarvest rely on donations from Canberra residents and businesses to keep the cogs turning and food on the table of the territory’s most vulnerable.

Ms Barnier and Mr Ali both agree the Canberra community is a collective of generous people, and they’ve always been humbled by the donations they receive from anonymous strangers.

“I think 90 per cent of which we give is actually purchased by us, by Helping ACT, and 10 per cent of it comes from the community, OzHarvest, and other organisations,” Mr Ali said.

“I’ve already said so many times – the statistics are that one in 10 people in Canberra need food assistance and other assistance. That means the flip side is that nine Canberrans can help that one person.”

At the moment, you can also donate to OzHarvest at Woolworths, and Ms Barnier wanted to assure the community that all donations to the ACT branch stay in Canberra.

Additionally, both organisations are always looking for more volunteers and Mr Ali is hoping to expand the street pantry initiative. If you’re able to create your own, it would be welcomed.

“We are all one health, employment, or family issue away from the street,” Ms Barnier said.

“We want people back. We want them to re-enter society, we want them to be able to be one of the nine.”

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