A few weeks ago Ipublicised opportunities tovolunteer at the Foodbank Warehouse to assist in packing Christmas hampers.

Today at Parliament I was pleased to join Gerry Andersen OAM, Chief Executive Officer, and John Robertson (former NSW Labor Leader), Chief Operating Officer at the launch of the Foodbank Hunger Report 2019.

I was able to meet personally and privately with Renee Pettifer to hear her story which she was willing for me to share.

I met with mother of four, Renee Pettifer, just one of the 373,173 people who are supported by Foodbank NSW & ACT each month and who has experienced the trauma of food insecurity firsthand.

Renee'shusband Grant was a tow truck driver and he had an accident at work. The insurance money that he got from the accident was a quarter of what his actual wages were. Within three weeks all of the family's savings had been exhausted.

At one point they had $50 to their name. They couldnt pay bills, let alone a mortgage repayment or buy food.

Poverty doesnt just exist in a third world country. Renee isan educated woman, she is studying fora law degree, but this can happen to anyone. Having Foodbank supporting her and her family has made such a difference. It means that theyare able to now put healthy meals on the table.

If you would like to get involved in assisting Foodbank you can find out more details on their website here.

You can read the full report here.