Published on 12 August 2020

Food relief for Aldinga and Seaford

There’s a new weapon in the fight against hunger in the south.

Mobile Food Hub – designed to get free and low-cost food to families most in need – has begun operating fortnightly at Aldinga and Seaford Community Centres thanks to Foodbank SA.

The Foodbank Mobile Food Hub service operates on Thursdays from 10:30am to 12:30pm (alternating weekly between the centres).

The service is available to customers that have a Foodbank voucher, which are provided by member agencies to clients on a limited income, allowing them to access free fruit, vegetables and bread.

It also offers low-cost items including dairy, frozen, meat, sanitary and hygiene items, non-perishable food, everyday essentials and animal food.

Foodbank CEO, Greg Pattinson, said the new service would help tackle food insecurity in the Southern region.

“One in five people in Australia were food insecure at some point in the past 12 months, and the pandemic has only put more pressure on families,” he said.

“Foodbank are already supplying more than 320,000 meals to the Onkaparinga Council area each year, but despite our best efforts we are still only meeting around 50 per cent of the required number of meals.

“We know that at an additional 290,000 meals each year are required just to meet the current levels of demand.

“The establishment of the Aldinga and Seaford Mobile Food Hub locations will help us to support the growing number of food insecure South Australians in the south.

“The referral service to the Mobile Food Hub ensures those accessing the service are in genuine need of food relief and the efforts are going to where it’s need most in the community.”

City of Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson said council was excited to join with Foodbank SA to offer the services at its community centres.

“This is a vital service, helping to address the sobering numbers around food insecurity and poverty across Australia,” she said.

“There are now plans to extend the provision of Foodbank vouchers to further increase the accessibility of free and low-cost food to those in need.

“I’d like to thank the Onkaparinga Food Security Collaborative and the networks of local community organisations, whose support has been instrumental in the establishment of these hubs.”

The Mobile Food Hubs operate at:

If you’re experiencing food insecurity, visit the Foodbank website to see how you can access the Mobile Food Hubs.

You can also support Foodbank SA by donating or volunteering at the service.

The Mobile Food Hubs add to Foodbank’s Christies Beach Food Hub, which was established in December 2018 after it secured funding from the State Government ‘Fund My Neighbourhood program’ and City of Onkaparinga.

Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation, operating on a scale that makes it crucial to the work of the frontline charities who are feeding vulnerable Australians.

Foodbank provides more than 70 per cent of the food rescued for food relief organisations nation-wide. It’s just one of the many volunteer organisations in the City of Onkaparinga supporting those in need during these challenging times.

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Scenes from the Mobile Food Hub at Aldinga Community Centre feat. City of Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson and Foodbank SA Customer Development Manager, Leanne Malek.