THE equivalent of more than 1000 meals have been delivered in Boort in six months through a new partnership with Bendigo Foodshare.
CEO Michelle Murphy last week met with Boort Resource and Information Centre staff to review the partnership.
Ms Murphy said Bendigo Foodshare had partnered with the BRIC to provide food relief to the local community.
“We reached out after the floods to see what help Bendigo Foodshare could provide and since January this year have been making monthly deliveries,” she said.
“Since the start of the year, Bendigo Foodshare has provided around 500kg of food relief to BRIC, which equates to roughly 1000 meals.
“It was a pleasure to meet with Louise and Bronwyn  and to see first hand the important role they are playing to support people in need”  Ms Murphy said. 
“We provide food to more than 70 partner organisations across central Victoria and BRIC is one of these wonderful organisations”
BRIC asks people make a gold coin donation to help with running costs and is encouraging the community to donate any excess produce to the pantry to share with others in the community. 
Ms Murphy and Bendigo Foodshare warehouse manager, Kaye Lehmann spent the day visiting food partner organisations in Kerang, Boort, Inglewood and Bridgewater. Bendigo Foodshare also has partnerships in Pyramid Hill.
Ms Murphy said: “Sadly there are more people than ever before who are struggling to put food on the table”. 
“We visited five different food partners across the region, and while they heard heartbreaking stories of people doing it tough, also heard stories of hope,” she said.
“We were inspired by these organisations at the front line, mostly volunteer run, working to help their community out.”
Bendigo Foodshare operates largely on donations of food, money and volunteer time, providing food to over 13,000 people in central Victoria every week.
“Demand at Inglewood and Bridgewater for assistance has more than tripled in the last six months,” said community kitchen co-ordinator Faye Orange last month.
Faye oversees distribution in the two towns and is also assisting with the trial of a foodbank in Korong Vale.
Ms Murphy said: ““People are experiencing pressures they have never experienced before,” she said. “People are still impacted by COVID and the floods and the surge in cost of living.”