RACGP encourages members to support Foodbank Christmas Appeal

Australia has a reputation of being the ‘lucky country’.
 
Yet despite being among the wealthiest in the world, it has some sobering statistics when it comes to food insecurity.
 
According to the latest Foodbank Hunger Report, one in six adults in Australia has not had enough to eat in the last year, and 1.2 million children have gone hungry.
 
As a side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting financial insecurity, Foodbank has seen a 47% increase in demand for food relief.
 
With the charity’s services under such significant pressure to service the community, the RACGP is calling on members to support its Christmas Appeal.
 
To encourage his colleagues, Dr Nathan Pinskier has committed to match each member donation, dollar for dollar up to $100,000, through his agency Onsite Doctor.
 
The Melbourne GP, a long-time donor to Foodbank, told newsGP the cause is close to his heart, having witnessed the charity’s work firsthand.
 
‘The organisation does absolutely amazing work,’ he said.
 
‘A lot of people ran out of money and ran out of access to food supplies, particularly overseas students and people who didn’t get access to the job schemes. Many were almost homeless and destitute.
 
‘[For] tens of thousands of people [who] never thought they would need help feeding themselves and their families … Foodbank was there – no questions asked.’
 
Foodbank provides food relief to more than a million people each month, with one in three people who are currently struggling to meet their food needs never having been in that position before.
 
A small donation can go a long way, with every dollar donated creating two meals and $500 putting food on the table for 10 families over Christmas.
 
Dr Pinskier said the past two years have served as ‘a real wakeup call’ and highlighted the underlying issues affecting the community.
 
He said GPs working on the frontline during the pandemic, who are well aware of the impact social determinants can have on health outcomes, have seen the difficulties faced by their patients.
 
‘Having people being financially impoverished and also having food insecurity, that undermines the fabric of our society and plays out in other ways,’ Dr Pinskier said.
 
‘Food insecurity is associated with increased risks for chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases and mental health issues.
 
‘In children, it often results in poorer general health as well as [poorer] developmental and academic outcomes.’
 
As of 6 December, RACGP members have donated $10,142 to the Foodbank Christmas Appeal, creating 20,284 meals for people in need, with RACGP President Dr Karen Price and prominent GP Dr Mukesh Haikerwal among the donors.
 
Dr Pinskier said he is looking forward to matching members’ donations and encouraged his GP colleagues to reflect on the hardships of the past two years and give back as much as they can.
 
‘General practice, like lots of healthcare professions, has had a very hard time over the last two years,’ he said.
 
‘But what general practice has done is survived, and at the end of the day I don’t think that there’d be a GP saying, “Today I can’t go home and feed myself or my family”. Yet there are lots of individuals in the community that have been in that position – and it’s tragic; we’re one of the richest [countries] in the world.
 
‘Christmas, and in my community Hanukkah, is a great time to pay it forward and give back. We have 45,000 members – if every member gave $10, that’s a lot of money.
 
‘Let’s help people who are more vulnerable than ourselves to stay on their feet to have a great end of the year and hopefully have some opportunity moving forward.
 
‘Caring for our communities does not stop at the clinic door.’
 
To make a donation, visit the Foodbank website.
 
Log in below to join the conversation.

Christmas Appeal donations food insecurity Foodbank pandemic