Demand for food relief soars as Covid, inflation and natural disasters pile pressure on the vulnerable

Prior to the pandemic, there were two Vinnies soup vans that handed out about 12,000 meals in the inner city. Then Covid hit and demand exploded: in the 2020-21 financial year, Vinnies soup vans handed out 373,000 meals, and now run nine separate vans.

Vinnies is just one emergency relief outlet reporting an increase in requests for assistance with the basics.

In the six months since, those organisations say that with inflation at record levels and the cost of living outstripping wage rises, demand has not slowed down.

The food relief services are lobbying the federal government for increased funding, in particular for natural disaster relief preparedness.

While Secondbite says there are no signs of a reduction in the volume of donated food, shipping delays are causing some supply issues.

The pressure shows no sign of easing on the frontline, though. Vinnies representatives say demand at the city-based soup van alone has gone up 25% in the past month.