Community organisations will now run the Canberra Relief Network (CRN), which the ACT Government established in March 2020 to provide regular household and food supplies during the pandemic.
When lockdown began in August, the Canberra Food Relief Centre started up again in Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), sending Woolworths Online orders, food hampers, and nappies and baby wipes. The CRN will run until mid-December.
“Our community sector is incredible at supporting the needs of Canberrans,” said Emma Davidson, Minister for Emergency Relief and Community Recovery. “This measure places trust in the work they do, providing food relief organisations with additional resources to increase their capacity to support people in need.”
The ACT Government collaborated with Volunteering ACT and the Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) to provide short-term food relief to Canberrans most in need, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, or people in quarantine.
Volunteering ACT supports the Connect Centre, which take calls from Canberrans seeking support, while DRA manage daily deliveries. They will take over from SES volunteers who managed this when lockdown began.
A centralised food distribution model will link people in need to other services through a sector database, Ms Davidson said.
As of 1 October, Volunteering ACT had received more than 3,550 calls. The CRN provided more than 1,200 Woolworths Online orders, 1,900 standard food hampers, nearly 50 gluten-free food hampers, more than 500 standard hygiene hampers, almost 600 hygiene and sanitary hampers, and more than 300 nappies and baby wipes.
The CRN transfer is part of $475,000 allocated over four years in last week’s 2021-22 Budget to fund food sustainability across Canberra beyond lockdown.
All Canberrans must have access to food and be able to live with dignity, Ms Davidson believes.
“Until JobSeeker is permanently raised to at least $80 a day, many Canberrans will need this additional support so they can live with dignity. More meals will improve their health and living standards.”
For further information on emergency food relief services, visit: www.communityservices.act.gov.au/connect-in-canberra/Community-Services-and-Support
