We Care 2 Hervey Bay – Extra Choices Low Cost Food Centre

In the heart of Hervey Bay, We Care 2 offers crucial assistance to address community needs amidst rising living expenses.

With picturesque coastal beaches and a gateway to K’gari, it is no wonder many call Hervey Bay home. But like many small regional cities and towns throughout Queensland, the silent epidemic of hunger is growing in many Hervey Bay households.

As a result, the need for community support continues to grow. We Care 2, a community group that supports the residents of Hervey Bay and the surrounding local areas is the helping hand many need to survive from week to week. They aim to ‘offer a rounded service to the community, not just with food but, with caring staff and volunteers who have a heart to help those in need and listen to those who are struggling.’

To achieve this aim, We Care 2, an initiative of New Life Chrisitan Church, has built a centre for community care services that provides service users with comprehensive support. As Office Manager, Tamara explained, “We extend a helping hand to our community and we have five different areas. We’ve got our low-cost food centre, which Foodbank are awesome at helping with us providing food for.”  The Low Cost Food Centre is open to low-income earners with concession cards, senior card holders, pensioners, and self-funded retirees.

In addition to their Extra Choice Low Cost Food Centre, We Care 2 runs a Community Connect Food Van, which provides free breakfasts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The third program is counselling where service users can attend free appointments with a qualified counsellor, specialising in grief, trauma, and crisis.

The fourth program offered by We Care 2 is Emergency Relief Appointments, which includes food, pharmacy, and fuel vouchers as well as emergency travel. Those accessing Emergency Relief appointments have changed in recent years, as Tamara explained, “We are finding even with our emergency relief that a lot of people are coming through and some of them have double incomes.”

Lastly, the Centre’s latest initiative is the Sunshine Van, which is a van that has hot showers, a clothes-washing facility, and a phone charging port. The need for this new offering came from the housing crisis and increased homelessness growing in Hervey Bay. With many people moving to the area without any support or family, they rely on We Care 2 for crucial support to thrive in the Hervey Bay region. As a result, We Care 2 has had to increase its emergency relief services, specifically having many tents on hand ready to provide shelter for those in need. As Tamara explained,

“The population has just exploded, and accommodation is really hard to get because people are now living in their investment properties and people are migrating from down south to up here. There are not as many rental properties available. People are also being evicted because the house is sold or the owner’s living in the house now, and they’ve got nowhere else to go, there’s not enough accommodation available, and then because of that explosion, the rent has increased.” – Tamara

With the increase in rent for many, We Care 2 has seen that those seeking relief range from individuals to families. Families typically have both parents in work, as Tamara explained,

“They might not be on a large income, but they’re both working. But that’s still not enough to cover the high rent and all the other costs of living. They’re struggling from week to week to be able to afford stuff.”

These families face a relentless cycle of financial stress, where even the smallest unexpected expense can tip the balance into crisis. The burden of high rent and living costs leaves them with little room to save or plan for the future. Thankfully, We Care 2 is there to lend a helping hand. Created from the heart to help people get through the pressures that they are in, to inspire and equip them for better outcomes in their lives, We Care 2 has helped many Queenslanders through crisis.

“The main success story we hear is just people who come in and say, ‘Thank you. Without you guys, I don’t know where I’d be. I don’t know how I’d be able to feed my family. I don’t know where my next steps would be.” – Tamara

Beyond providing immediate relief, We Care 2 aims to foster a sense of community and support. It’s a place where people can find not just material assistance, but also hope and guidance for a better future.

“The low-cost food is really helpful to pensioners, One lady, her rent was going up $50 a week. She can’t afford that, and her pension is not increasing so she has nowhere else for this money to come from. They rely on our food services and other things to be able to just get them through every week.”

This kind of assistance is crucial for those on fixed incomes, who often face impossible choices between essential needs like food and housing. This would not be possible without the partnership with Foodbank Queensland. Through Foodbank Queensland, We Care 2 can stock their extra choices of low-cost food centre, ensuring a steady supply of essential items. This collaboration allows them to offer affordable food options to those in need.  

“Together we can make a difference,” a favourite catchphrase of We Care 2, is especially appropriate given the relationship between Foodbank Queensland and We Care 2 working together to feed Queenslanders in need.

Together, with the help of your donations, both Foodbank Queensland and We Care 2 can continue to support Queenslanders. If you are in a position to help Foodbank Queensland provide more food across the state to support Queenslanders in need, please consider joining the fight against hunger as a regular giver.