Calls for holiday donations as Christmas nears

“We’re low all the time. We can’t get dry goods like pasta, rice and cereal, all those basics you’d expect to have in your cupboard,” Ms Todd said.

As the holidays approach, the growing need and the decrease in available food means Ms Todd and her colleagues are asking the community to pitch in.

Shepparton Family and Financial Services provides Christmas hampers for some of the most vulnerable families they serve.

In previous years the organisation has been able to source food, including festive holiday options, for the hampers from partners like Foodbank.

This year, they need help.

They’re running a food drive until mid-December, and hoping the community will step in to fill the gap.

Donations of food staples, holiday foods, toys, toiletries, or other items are welcome.

Those wishing to participate can drop off donations at the Shepparton Family and Financial Services office, located at 1 Naomi St, Shepparton, until Monday, December 16.

Ms Todd said the number of households the organisation is serving is rising.

She said they’ve served roughly 35 to 40 households per day this year.

Ms Todd attributed the increase to the rising cost of living.

“People just can’t afford to shop,” she said.

“Everything has gone up, but people are still on the same income.”

But as the need is growing, the availability of food has decreased.

That means finding things to fill a Christmas hamper is a tall order.

“We literally haven’t got anything this year for families,” Ms Todd said.

One of the biggest issues is access to things like frozen hams.

Ms Todd said Shepparton Family and Financial Services received notice from Foodbank Victoria that there is no funding for chilled trucks to deliver regionally, so chilled and frozen food is no longer available.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Families, Fairness and Housing said there has been no funding cuts to Foodbank Victoria.

Foodbank continues to receive $3.3 million in ongoing annual funding, including $580,000 for charity freight costs, according to the spokesperson.

However, some extra “one-off” funding available for regional deliveries does not appear to have been renewed.

The organisation received an additional $250,000 for regional chilled charity freight in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Foodbank Victoria declined to comment on changes to chilled food deliveries.

However, the organisation’s Katie Fisher said Foodbank Victoria tried to source as much food as possible for charity partners with the resources on hand.

“We recognise that Christmas is particularly tough for many of our communities and always try to ensure we can purchase shelf stable hams and other treats for our charity partners to distribute at this time of year. We will be in a position to have these available for our charity partners across Victoria to order in the lead up to Christmas, while supplies last,” Fisher said.

With the dip in the amount of food coming in, Ms Todd is concerned that families will not have access to foods to make the holidays special this year.

In an ideal world, Ms Todd said the organisation would put together hampers for every household they served.

But with limited resources, they’re focusing first on families with kids, especially families who are particularly vulnerable.

“They’re as deserving as anyone else to have a lovely Christmas,” she said.

For those wishing to donate, Ms Todd said long-life foods can be dropped off any time between now and the end of the drive.

Meats can also be brought in at any point as they can be frozen.

Homemade goods are not accepted.

Perishable items would need to be donated at the very end of the food drive so they can be distributed before they go bad.

Community members with questions can contact the office on 5831 7755