RACV has reached a significant milestone in its emergency goods assist service, delivering its 100,000th meal to Shepparton Foodshare.
The emergency goods assist service, which commenced last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, has supported over 30 community organisations across Victoria, starting with deliveries around Melbourne and now beyond. As the demand for meals increased, the service expanded to meet the needs in regional Victoria.
RACV General Manager Social Impact and Corporate Communications Louise Steinfort said, "by extending our emergency goods assist service to regional Victoria, we have been able to reach more vulnerable community members in need of nutritious meals."
"The 100,000 meals that we've been able to deliver have helped to ease some of the stresses facing families and individuals during a year that has seen many Victorians seek additional support", said Ms Steinfort.
Operations Coordinator at Shepparton Foodshare Grace Grieve saw first-hand the increased need from the Shepparton community as the demand for their services grew 80 per cent during the height of COVID-19.
"Despite Government assistance, we were finding people in the community were still struggling to make ends meet and the RACV emergency goods assist service enabled us to support more families and individuals who were doing it tough.
"It's made a huge difference to how many people we can assist and how we are able to support those most in need in our community as we all navigate the impacts of the last year," said Ms Grieve.
From Shepparton to the Bellarine Peninsula, the 100,000 emergency goods assist meals are making an impact across regional Victoria.
Ocean Grove-based charity Feed Me Bellarine, Lana Purcell, said the increase in demand grew from the hundreds to the thousands in the last year. RACV supplied more than 7,000 meals to Feed Me Bellarine.
"We're creating 6,000 meals a week now and probably taking care of 10,000-plus individuals a week," says Lana. "Any kind of help we can get, especially with the ready-made RACV meals, makes a massive difference to us. It's a boost and something our chefs don't have to make."
The RACV emergency goods assist service delivers meals across regional Victoria into areas such as Ballarat, Shepparton, Gippsland, the Bellarine, and Mornington Peninsula. Meals are being delivered to over 30 community organisations including;
· Feed Me Bellarine
· Southern Peninsula Community Support
· Mornington Community Centre
· One Care Geelong
· Traralgon Neighbourhood House.
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