Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Limestone Coast Foodbank in the south-east of my electorate of Barker. Foodbank is an exceptional organisation. Its core is simple: to feed those in need by redistributing surplus food. Growers, manufacturers and processors produce quantities of food which, for various commercial reasons, cannot be sold while, at the same time, welfare agencies are involved in the ongoing struggle to provide food relief to thousands of Australians in need. In short, it is a perfect solution to a very real problem for many struggling to put food on the table.

The Limestone Coast Foodbank began with the work of the late Barry Maney OAM some 15 years ago. Barry and his wife, Shirley, were instrumental in the establishment of the regional Foodbank hub and it is one of Barry's great legacies. The Foodbank in Mount Gambier was first established in 2005 and since then has distributed a whopping 1.1 million kilograms of food, equating to 2.2 million meals or an estimated value of $5.5 million at the supermarket shelves.

Recently I attended the official opening of the food hub expansion at the Regional Foodbank Limestone Coast. In particular, I wish to pay tribute to John Sandercock, who recently retired from his role of branch manager after 14 years of dedicated service. I wish Lynne Neshoda all the best as she takes on this important role. From what I saw recently, Lynne is already doing a wonderful job.

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