Foodbank Victoria is continuing to search for an appropriate site to build Ballarat's $5 million Foodbank Hub.
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The Victorian government awarded Foodbank $10 million in a November 2018 pre-election promise to establish food hubs in Ballarat and Morwell.
A Foodbank spokesperson said the Ballarat project should be delivered between the middle and end of 2022, but there had been delays in securing land for the hub.
"We are continuing to search for an appropriate site in a challenging marketplace which has seen significant growth in competition and price for commercial allotments," the spokesperson said.
"These circumstances have largely been driven by the many factors stemming from the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis."
There is need now, so any further delays in establishing the centre are concerning from our perspective.
- Ballarat Foundation chief executive Andrew Eales
Ballarat Foundation advocated for the establishment of a food security hub in Ballarat in 2018, after research showed at least 12 per cent of Ballarat's population experienced food insecurity.
READ MORE: Labor promises Ballarat Foodbank hub
The Foodbank Hub was funded to enable the statewide organisation to deliver more fresh, frozen and staple foods to Ballarat and surrounding communities and boost existing food relief efforts.
Many food relief organisations face challenges with frequent access to fresh and frozen foods and storage of those foods on site with limited space and funding for fridges and freezers.
Findings of a study released in 2018 showed more than 70 per cent of people accessing food relief in Ballarat surveyed believed they should be eating more fresh foods but said they were too expensive to buy.
A Foodbank spokesperson said plans for the Ballarat hub were not finalised and could not yet be released due to a commercially sensitive tender process with architects and builders.
"Broadly speaking, we anticipate a large warehouse capable of storing and distributing significant amounts of food with the capacity to enable some community engagement programs and services, connecting more fresh, frozen and staple food to the region," the spokesperson said.
Foodbank currently supports six charity partners and 20 schools in the City of Ballarat.
It delivered more than 88,700kg of food and groceries in the 2019/2020 financial year.
Ballarat Foundation pitched for funding to establish its own food security hub in the lead up to the 2018 state government election, with designs completed and a site identified, but was unsuccessful.
Ballarat Foundation chief executive Andrew Eales said he was 'very keen' to hear what Foodbank's plans were.
"Given the need within the community, the sooner the service is available and the sooner the engagement with community food relief providers is increased, the better the outcomes will be for the Ballarat community," he said.
"There is need now, so any further delays in establishing the centre are concerning from our perspective."
Ballarat and region welfare agencies ramped up efforts to provide food relief during the coronavirus pandemic to a rising number of people who had previously never sought help before.
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