Wesley Mission Victoria’s annual Food for Families appeal has collected an unprecedented 49 tonnes of food for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The appeal runs in the lead up to Christmas, inviting schools, businesses and community groups to collect food and household essentials for distribution through Wesley’s Crisis and Homelessness services.
Over 550 groups participated in 2015, more than double the previous year, with many individuals and families also hosting a collection box at home.
Wesley’s Manager of Crisis and Homelessness Services, Janene Evens, says she is extremely grateful for the generosity of Melbournians.
“Our goal was to collect 30 tonnes and we’ve got much more than that which is fantastic. I think people really like the appeal because they can be sure that all of the donations will go to people in need,” Evans said.
Wesley’s Crisis & Homelessness Services in Ringwood and Footscray both have a pantry that is restocked daily from food collected during the Food for Families appeal. They hand out up to 450 bags of food to individuals and families in need every week.
The Food for Families appeal received generous corporate support, including Orora who supplied all of the Food for Families boxes and 13CABS who provided vans to pick up the collection boxes across Melbourne. As the donations piled up, Fort Knox Ringwood opened its doors with free temporary storage.
“The response has been amazing. It’s clear that we don’t want to see others suffering and a lot of us are willing to go out of our way to help. That means a lot to people who are struggling,” Evans said.
Wesley Mission Victoria will embark on the 25th annual Food for Families appeal in the lead-up to Christmas this year.