Tackling food poverty, one meal at a time 

This may be an affluent area, but our community is as diverse as any: it may surprise some to hear that the Northern Beaches includes some 3,500 social service homes. And of course, living in an affluent area doesn’t mean you can’t lose your job or relationship. Many people are only a few pay packets away from financial stress and facing a serious challenge feeding their family.

Kim Williams, Coordinator of One Meal Northern Beaches, knows all too well how critical that challenge can get. He tells of one referral that tragically arrived too late: by the time One Meal got involved with this family, the mother was in hospital, where she passed away. “They did an autopsy and she had died from malnutrition. In Brookvale. Just let that sink in a moment.”

This is one of the stories that galvanised hundreds of volunteers to develop One Meal from a community meal provider to a service delivering 7,500 meals a week to those in need in the community. “It was born of need during COVID, as the regular services couldn’t meet community needs. They faced food availability issues and COVID infiltrated their organisations. The social service groups within our community are principally run by senior community members, who were the most vulnerable – so they stayed away.”

Meanwhile, the need for help grew, with job losses and mental health issues rising and many not covered by Job Keeper. Vulnerable community members were particularly affected by lockdown, but still needed food. “That’s when we hit our stride. Harris Farm Markets came on board, donating an enormous amount of food, and we started home delivery.” Kim and the team also realised that current services weren’t meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. “You could go to the park every week for a community meal cooked by volunteers. But many people don’t have the physical capability to do that or can’t get out and engage due to mental health issues, so they went without.” So, One Meal sought referrals from organisations such as social housing organisations and women’s shelters.

Delivering 7,500 meals is no small task. Volunteers collect donated food: veggies from Woolworths, bread from Bakers Delight or surplus from cafes. Others work in a warehouse space donated by St Vincent De Paul, assessing donations for cooking or bagging as grocery deliveries. Home cooks prepare meals and drivers make delivery rounds.

The volume of deliveries has been enabled by the generosity of Nagi from RecipeTin Eats, who donates around 400 meals a day. And it’s 100% volunteer fuelled – not one person involved is paid for their time. “Everything is about the volunteers and food donation partners,” says Kim. “We are just so blessed. If it wasn’t for our team exploring new opportunities, not just relying on people coming to us, there would be a lot more tragedies, I believe. With food in their stomachs, people have a different outlook – they gain the capacity to go and find another job.”