Food, Community and Jobs – A Future We Can Build

As Tasmania moves toward a state election, one thing is clear: the cost-of-living crisis is far from over. Families are still struggling. Rents are rising. And demand for food relief continues to grow.

This week, several frontline community organisations — including Loaves and Fishes Tasmania — spoke with ABC News about what we’re seeing every day on the ground. The message was simple: we cannot solve this alone, and we shouldn’t be expected to.

You can read the article here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-04/tasmanian-community-service-providers-on-election-cost-of-living/105457272?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web

At Loaves and Fishes, we produce over 19,000 fresh meals each week and distribute more than 15,000 kilograms of rescued produce to Tasmanians doing it tough. We also offer supported employment, training pathways, and community connection — because food relief should never be just about calories. It’s about dignity, inclusion, and long-term change.

A Local Response to a Local Challenge

Tasmania already has a roadmap: the Food Relief to Food Resilience Strategy. It was developed through deep collaboration between community organisations, health services, educators, and producers — and it’s grounded in what works.

What’s needed now is momentum. We need to invest in what’s already making a difference and ensure funding flows to those building stronger, fairer, more local food systems.

This is not a call for more handouts or siloed programs. It’s a call for a joined-up response that links food, health, education, mental wellbeing, employment, and agriculture. A response that’s relational, not transactional. Built for Tasmania, by Tasmanians.

This Isn’t Just About Meals

At Loaves and Fishes, our work is anchored in three simple but powerful pillars: food, community, and jobs — all wrapped in our mission to deliver food and hope.

That’s what real food security looks like:

• Access to fresh, seasonal, nutritious food,
• Connection through trusted, local partnerships, and
• Opportunities for people to gain confidence, skills, and purpose through employment and training.

And we’re not alone. Across Tasmania, local organisations are leading the way — running school meal programs, social supermarkets, food hubs, and community kitchens. They’re partnering with farmers and food businesses to keep good food in the state and in the hands of those who need it most.

This is systems change. It’s already working — and it deserves to be backed.

A Moment for Leadership

This election is a critical opportunity. Will we continue to fund short-term fixes, or will we commit to long-term, place-based solutions that are already delivering?

Tasmania has what it needs:

• The people
• The partnerships
• The plan

What we need now is the political will to invest in it — and the public resolve to support candidates who back innovative, economically sound, Tasmanian solutions to food insecurity and cost-of-living pressure.

Because this isn’t just about food. It’s about what kind of community we want to be — and how we care for one another when it matters most.

Let’s back what’s working — and build what’s needed.