Health expert stresses Foodbank importance
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An Indigenous health expert says the emergency delivery of food to Western Australian Indigenous communities this week highlights the importance of the welfare organisation Foodbank.
Half a tonne of food had to be flown to a community east of Carnarvon because the local store had closed down.
Christine Jeffries-Stokes says it is not uncommon for stores in the goldfields to close temporarily or shut down.
She says there is a strong need for a local Foodbank branch in the region.
"This happens in the goldfields quite frequently that communities are without a store and this means you have to drive a long way to shop and some people can't do that because they don't have a vehicle or a licence or perhaps even if you can do it you'll spend all the money you were going to buy food with on fuel," she said.
Foodbank chief executive Doug Paling says its goldfields branch could be up and running again as early as April next year.
"We're hoping to come and restore our presence probably before the ... end of April. Initially this will be a temporary hold if you like until we can muster support because our plan is to purpose build and own a regional Foodbank in Kalgoorlie-Boulder," he said.
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