DING THE FIVE
THOUSAND AS THE COST OF LIVING IN TODAY’S SOCIETY CONTINUES TO RISE, PROVIDING NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO THOSE LESS FORTUNATE IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CRITICAL. THE FOODBASKET AT MARYBOROUGH HAS RISEN TO THIS CHALLENGE, WITH THE HELP OF A NEW HINO 500 SERIES 10-PALLET TRUCK.
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Mick Wait
n common with many regional cities in Australia, Maryborough on the central Queensland coast has been saddled with the double whammy of a growing unemployment rate and an aging population – circumstances which lead to many people having restricted means to afford the basic necessities of life. As a Christian church with a mission heart for helping those in need, LifeChurch at Maryborough in 2008 established the FoodBasket – a low-cost food club that supports families and individuals on low incomes by providing everyday food items and household staples at well below retail prices. Those with either a valid Health Care or Pension card can avail of the service which aims to consistently supply a wide range of ever-changing food items to this sector of the community. Given the unemployment rate in Maryborough is reported to be one of highest among Australian cities, the
extremely high demand for the services of FoodBasket is hardly surprising. As much of the food is sourced from Brisbane, about 270km south of Maryborough, the logistics of transporting the goods – which includes ambient, chilled and frozen products – is a critical aspect of the not-for-profit organisation. The man in charge of this is Mick Wait, who started as a casual truck driver four years ago and two years later rose to the position of Manager. Being a former long-distance truck driver, Mick possesses the necessary skills to deliver the goods, as well as a caring heart for helping those in need within his local community. As such, it’s obvious he gains a great deal of satisfaction from doing his job well. “We’re a ministry of LifeChurch Maryborough and we operate a small retail not-for-profit grocery store,” Mick explains. “Anyone with a Health Care or Pension card is welcome to become p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u
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