SecondBite food helps Freedom Care provide support to community members who need it most

SecondBite charity partner Freedom Care is an absolute pillar of Kilmore and the surrounding community. For some, it’s a lifeline.

“We had a lady with five kids send us a text saying she had no food for her kids, didn’t know what to do,” recounts Jo, Freedom Care’s food outlet manager. “So we looked in our system and found out what she usually got in her box. Then we delivered the food that she needed.”

These stories are common at Freedom Care, which supports around 350 people – many of these are families and elderly people – each week with fresh, nutritious SecondBite food. And for those facing hardship, it’s often the most reliable source of support.

“I promise you one thing, no one will judge you, we just try to help you,” says the larger-than-life Pastor Frantz who runs Freedom Care.

“We have a lot of people experiencing violence at home, and they’ve been kicked out, etc. And they arrive with nothing, no clothes, nothing, so we literally clothe them and then provide everything that we can for them.”

“We have people sitting here and when we tell them we’ll help them with free food, they just break down and start crying,” affirms Jo. “Because they’re just absolutely heartbroken. And we also get a lot of people with psychological problems, living in their cars. A lot of people live in the park.”

On a recent visit, we met Jennifer, a new client, still grieving the loss of her mother just a week prior. Having cared for her mother for years, she now finds herself navigating life as a two-person household; Jennifer lives with her son.

“It was difficult. No holidays, no nothing, like a full-time job. Now I’m just coming to grips with only being a two-person household… No more buzzers and alarms and monitors.”

But Jennifer won’t have long to grieve. She will soon have to re-enter the workforce after years away to contend with the cost of living.

“I haven’t been working since 2018, so I’ve got to start thinking about going back to work. Mum used to contribute to half of things like food. Now I’m paying everything. And not being able to justify in my mind things like watermelon, which I love… You’ve got to make sacrifices.”

Although Jennifer says there have been times when she should have reached out for food assistance before, today is her first time. From the SecondBite produce, she happily procures a slice of watermelon and eyes up the fresh tomatoes and carrots on display.

“I can make a nice tomato soup. And you can put that on other things. put it with rissoles with rice for hedgehogs, moussaka, but my son loves tomato soup. Carrots too, I like to make a carrot and walnut cake. My second job up in the Northern Territory, we had a coffee shop. So I made the carrot cakes.”

Naturally, Jennifer is still grieving the loss of her mother. The SecondBite food she can access at Freedom Care means a great deal to her during these difficult times.

“It’s the little things. Like this place. I’m looking forward to coming back. I’m even thinking of volunteering here later in the year.”

Jennifer’s story is just one example of the growing number of people seeking help. Sadly, the need continues to rise across the country.

“When we came back in January, it was pretty overwhelming how many new clients we had and how many people were coming in asking for vouchers,” says Jo.

Freedom Care relies on SecondBite produce to feed people in their community. And your support enables SecondBite to provide vital food to organisations like Freedom Care, helping them meet this increasing demand. Please consider making a donation here.