Food banks in regional Australia struggling to keep up with demand

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Now it is time for our weekly bush briefing, to find out what is happening in regional Australia. Reporter Nethma Dande-Niya has the latest from Mildura in Victoria. Focusing on how pressure on foodbanks is continuing to rise as providers struggle to keep up with demand.

Transcript

00:00The cost of living has impacted Australians all across Australia, including in regional

00:06areas.

00:07A food pantry in Wentworth, just across the border in New South Wales, say they've seen

00:11a three-fold increase in the demand for food.

00:14On average, around 40 families enter the centre in need of food, but that's constantly increasing.

00:20The demand has risen where new faces and families are attending the clinic, the Centre for Food.

00:25The lead pastor of the local church, Stephen Hewitt, says that people are really struggling.

00:31Parents are skipping out on meals so children can have food to eat.

00:35And it's not only people from low SES backgrounds or people that are homeless, it's everyone

00:39that's being impacted by the cost of living pressures and the food insecurity.

00:44Experts say that middle-income families are struggling to put food on the table.

00:49Families where both parents are working, they're struggling to buy groceries because of the

00:53cost of living pressures.

00:55And particularly with this food pantry here in Wentworth, they're actually providing donations

01:01of food to other food banks in the region because of the demand.

01:05After years of deliberation, the Trail of Lights here on Lock Island behind me is set

01:09to finally open to the public on Friday.

01:12The installation was designed by world-renowned light artist Bruce Munro, who's got works

01:17all across the globe, including here in Australia.

01:20The installation includes over 12,000 firefly lights and 20 gorn fishing sculptures, which

01:27are structures that are crafted from fishing rods.

01:29The project has cost $4 million, with $3 million of that funding coming from the state Victorian

01:35government.

01:36It's hoped that the project can increase visitation and tourism to the region, and they're expecting

01:41around 185,000 people will be arriving here across the two years, which is the proposed

01:47period for the Trail of Lights.

01:49For locals, it's been a long time coming, they've waited many years for this.

01:53Originally it was planned for Lake Cullaray in around 50 kilometres west of Mildura, towards

01:58the South Australian border, but in May last year it got approval to be held here on Lock Island.

02:05It's the first installation of two for the region, with another one planned for Wentworth

02:11with completion projected to be done by the end of the year.

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