BeefBank to help fill Christmas hampers with mince

Families and individuals doing it tough this holiday season will receive mince in their Christmas hampers, with BeefBank supporting the Redcliffe Community Care Network’s annual Community Christmas Appeal.

The Redcliffe Community Care Network, which is made up of several services including The Breakfast Club, The Salvation Army, Encircle, Redcliffe Uniting Church, City of Moreton Bay, Band of Brothers, Redcliffe Mums Inc, Emerge Church and Peace Christian Church, will be making up and distributing food hampers this December for those who might otherwise go without.

BeefBank director Tony Hunter, who is also a Moreton Bay local, says he is thrilled to support the cause.

“This will be the third time BeefBank has helped with the Community Christmas Appeal,” Tony says.

“My wife does a lot of volunteering, and one of the places she volunteers at is The Breakfast Club, so we know the great work they do in helping the community.

“We will be donating 500g packets of frozen mince, which means it will be nice and fresh when people take it home.

“I estimate we will be donating more than 100kg of mince this year.

“We usually partner with Foodbank to help us deliver the products, but with this cause being local, we will be dropping off the donation ourselves.”

About BeefBank

BeefBank supports the homeless and disadvantaged by providing fresh meat to Foodbank Queensland.

“BeefBank was established in 2006 by the Rotary Club of Brisbane Centenary Inc,” Tony explains.

“It was started after the then general manager of Foodbank came and did a talk at the club in 2005, where he explained what Foodbank was and what they do to help feed the needy and the homeless.

“Members of the Rotary Club then decided they wanted to help, so they decided to source beef so Foodbank could then give high protein meat to the charities and welfare organisations they support.”

BeefBank partners with many people and organisations to supply meat to Foodbank. Its partnerships include cattle buyers, farmers, state prisons, abattoirs and transport companies.

BeefBank is run by volunteers, meaning 100 percent of cash donations goes to the purchase and preparation of meat for those in need.

As outlined on the BeefBank website, a $30 donation can feed someone for one month, while $100 will support a family for the same period. A donation of $250 will also support a soup kitchen for a night.

In addition, BeefBank also accepts donations of animals.

BeefBank is a registered charity and can issue Tax Deductible Receipts for all donations over $2. This includes donations of animals.

Since forming 17 years ago, BeefBank has provided meat for more than 750,000 meals - 50,000 so far in 2023.

Cost of living crisis affecting thousands 

According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data (Census 2021), on any given night 122,494 people in Australia are experiencing homelessness, and one in seven of them are children under the age of 12.

Homelessness is not only ‘rooflessness’ – homelessness also includes people in crisis accommodation rooming houses, insecure housing, overcrowded dwellings or couch surfing.

Due to the increase in the cost of living and recent interest rate increases, members of the Redcliffe Community Care Network estimate they will need to make around 500 hampers, possibly more.

Michelle Gilchrist from The Breakfast Club has thanked BeefBank for coming onboard as a major sponsor, saying “we are so thankful for their support”.

“Last year we made roughly 400 hampers, but I am anticipating we will need to have enough food for at least 500 hampers this year, probably even more,” Michelle says.

“This has been a really hard year for a lot of people, and I don’t think it is going to get any better.

“People are struggling due to the interest rate rises, the cost of fuel and grocery prices.

“Being able to provide mince from BeefBank to the people we support will help them a lot.”

If you need a hamper this year, more information on how to register will be provided by The Redcliffe Community Care Network on their Facebook page, and on Moreton Daily mid-November.