A growing number of Australian children are reaching out for food welfare, with a new study finding 180,000 disadvantaged kids relying on it.
The Foodbank Hunger Report 2014, made public yesterday to coincide with World Food Day, revealed that more than half a million Australians are supported by food aid each month, a third of them children.
A further 60,000 people, including 24,000 children, are being turned away with empty hands and stomachs by aid agencies lacking food and resources. The study was conducted by Foodbank Australia, a non-profit organisation that distributes food to aid agencies.
Foodbank chief executive Jason Hincks said the number of kids needing help is shocking, adding that regular meals are essential not only to a child's health, but their self-esteem and social relationships.
"No child should have to worry about where their next meal will come from," he said.