Food. Petrol. Energy. As the cost of living skyrockets, Foodbank – Australia’s largest hunger-relief charity – is under extreme pressure.

Its Victorian arm is currently feeding the equivalent of an AFL Grand Final crowd at the MCG every two days. So, as part of its Winter Appeal, Foodbank is calling on those who can to dig deep and help some of the state’s most vulnerable people.

“Food is something a lot of us take for granted, but the scale of food insecurity and how it’s increased in a country like Australia is heartbreaking,” Deirdre Boaz, coordinator of Foodbank’s Mobile Supermarket and Farms to Families programs, said in a statement.

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You can donate online now. $35 will help provide essential pantry staples, $60 will help provide the fresh ingredients needed for nutritious meals, and $120 will help fill the charity’s supermarket buses, which travel across the state feeding those in need.

But “it’s not just about the food”, said Boaz. “We offer a place for connection where people can come along to chat and say ‘hello’ ... Everyone has a story. Our team is very good at listening when people are willing to share and respecting where they are at. And if someone just wants to get in and get out, we don’t ask questions.

“We just let people know, ‘You are welcome here.’”

Donate online.

foodbank.org.au