Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to update the Federation Chamber on the exceptional work of Foodbank Queensland. During the Christmas and New Year period, I partnered with both Foodbank Queensland and Quest newspapers to help raise awareness of the Foodbank food drive by providing a drop-off location at my electorate office in Brisbane. Expenses in the lead-up to Christmas and the start of the school year frequently put extra strain on family budgets. This means families have to make sacrifices in other areas of their lives. That is why Foodbank is so vital. Foodbank provides an outlet to food companies for their surplus stock and at the same time allows community support agencies to save time and resources in the supply of nutritious food.

Welfare agencies are increasingly involved in an ongoing struggle to provide food relief to thousands of people who are dependent on food handouts to supplement their welfare benefits. Foodbank Queensland is the link between these two groups. In 2010, Foodbank Queensland provided enough food for almost 16 million meals. Nationally, more than 2,500 charities and 640 schools collect the donated food and distribute it to adults and children in need as prepared meals, food hampers and emergency parcels, feeding an average of 88,000 people a day.

I would like to specially mention Nicci Skerl, Business Service Manager for Foodbank Queensland, and her team of 16, who help collect, collate and distribute food across Brisbane and Queensland.