Food Justice Truck wins VicHealth’s Healthy Happy Heroes Award

At Federation Square last week on 1 December, the Food Justice Truck won the Healthy Happy Heroes (kid’s choice) Award, chosen by the students from Sunshine North Primary School, selected under the guidance of the Governor of Victoria the Honourable Linda Dessau AM, VicHealth and YMCA. The Truck was also finalist in a new category, ‘Improving Health Equity’, which was won by Voices of the Valley – a great organisation advocating for the Latrobe Valley community.

The VicHealth Awards recognise ground breaking health promotions, and this year was participated by the kids at Sunshine North Primary School who nominated the event’s first Healthy Happy Heroes Award, as well as taking part in a health promotion camp on the grounds of Government house.

The ASRC’s General Manager Steve Betinsky commented,

The win is a humbling and inspiring experience. It’s ‘inspiring to hear and see our next generation being so aware of such an important issue.

ASRC Director of Humanitarian Services, Patrick Lawrence reflected

It was a great story of how the future of our country embody the values we strive for at the ASRC. It was also a powerful statement to the parliamentary representatives in the room (Minister for Health Jill Hennessy, Shadow Minister Mary Woolridge, and Greens rep Greg Barber), and to an international delegation from the 16th Annual International Network of Health Promotion Foundations.

90 per cent of people seeking asylum in Australia experience food insecurity and many do not receive financial assistance. Those that do are only eligible for 89 per cent of the Newstart allowance – just $227 per week, leaving a mere $10-$20 for food. This is a standard of living that falls well below the Australian poverty line.

The Food Justice Truck (FJT) is a mobile grocer aiming to help. The Truck aims to reduce food insecurity within Melbourne’s asylum seeker community by providing fresh, healthy and locally sourced produce at a 75 per cent discount. The Truck also welcomes members of the general public who pay market rate to help offset costs. In 2015-16, the FJT served almost 6 800 customers and provided $104 663 worth of free produce to people seeking asylum. It is operated by twenty four staff and one full time employee across four sites (Footscray Primary School, Melbourne CBD, Dallas and Thomastown).

The ASRC is proud of our Food Justice Truck, the staff and volunteers who run it, the community that supports it and the wonderful kids at Sunshine North Primary School who have shown such open hearts and minds.

The Food Justice Truck (FJT) is an award-winning, mobile fresh food market that enhances food security for people seeking asylum in the Victorian community by offering locally sourced produce, grains, legumes, tea and bread at a 75% discount to people seeking asylum. The Food Justice Truck also welcomes general public shoppers who pay local market rates.

It is the world’s first retail model that enables the general public to invest in locally sourced produce (with low carbon miles) and also support the ASRC to re-invest profits into the provision of fresh food for people seeking asylum at a price that they can afford.

To follow the truck and it’s locations go to www.asrc.org.au/foodjustice/