Timely assistance: food relief pop up ahead of holiday period

People experiencing food insecurity will have the opportunity to replenish their supplies at next week’s Foodbank pop-up event.

Scheduled for Wednesday 6 December, starting at 9:30 am, the event will take place at the Riverside car park off Johnson Street, Wagga Wagga. Attendees are kindly requested to bring their own reusable bags.

Foodbank’s Regional Food Relief Coordinator for the Riverina Colina Meadows said the pop up will provide timely access to fresh, healthy, and nutritious produce for people experiencing food insecurity.

“We’ll be bringing up to 8 tonnes of fresh produce to the pop up, which will ensure hundreds of families have access to enough fresh food for an entire week,” Ms Meadows said.

“It’s a particularly timely event, given the anticipated increase in calls for assistance to local support services in the lead-up to the Christmas and New Year period.

“If you’re concerned about having access to fresh food, please come along; we’ll have a team of friendly volunteers ready to help you select what you’d like.

“We’d like to thank Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network for funding the pop up, and Wagga Wagga City Council for all their help in bringing this event to fruition; it’s been a combined effort.”

The community event follows the success of the well-attended Foodbank pop up in August this year, which distributed 8 tonnes of fresh produce to approximately 800 people within just 90 minutes.

Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) will be onsite offering free health checks and vaccinations.

MPHN’s Clinical Programs and Emergency Response Manager Peta Anderson said if it’s been over six months since your last COVID-19 vaccination, now is a great time to get a booster.

“We’ll also be providing Japanese encephalitis vaccinations which are especially important if you regularly spend time outdoors or are living in conditions with limited mosquito protection,” Ms Anderson said.

The Foodbank pop-up initiative is funded by Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) and facilitated by Wagga Wagga City Council.