On October 16, to coincide with World Food Day, Foodbank Australia unveiled a replica of the Sydney Harbour Bridge constructed entirely out of donated food to highlight the hidden problem of hunger in Australia.

The structure included 146 boxes of Weet-Bix, donated by Sanitarium. Charities collected the food from the bridge structure on Monday to use in their food programs.

The event was attended by Tanya Plibersek (MP for Sydney and Minister for Human Services and Social Inclusion) and Julia Dean (National Information Officer, United Nations) along with key representatives from Foodbank who acknowledged the generosity and support of the food industry, represented by 20 food industry leaders in attendance at the event.

World Food Day is a United Nations initiative aimed at raising awareness of global food insecurity issues such as hunger, malnutrition and poverty. To highlight the hidden problem of hunger in Australia, Foodbank launched their Bridge the Hunger Divide to raise awareness of this issue. 

While Australia is dubbed the lucky country, it’s important to remember that we are not immune to food insecurity – every day, people are going hungry. Most people are surprised to learn that there are two million Australians that rely on hunger relief at some time during each year. Half of them are children.

In order to ensure Foodbank is able to continue to do their vital work, we encourage everyone to get involved. It’s easy to do your bit by showing your support on Facebook for the need to Bridge the Hunger Divide. 

Sanitarium is a national supporter of Foodbank, Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation. Foodbank currently provides food to 2,500 welfare agencies across the country to help feed Australians in need.

Watch a video of the bridge build.