Rockingham RV Solutions helps put fresh meals on menu for Indigenous communities

A Rockingham caravan business has custom-designed and built two new food vans for a remote food delivery program in the Gascoyne and Mid West.

Rockingham’s RV Solutions partnered with the Aboriginal Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Ltd to build the custom food vans to increase the mobility of the foundation’s Food for the Mob program.

The program helps to address food insecurity in the region by supplying meals to those in need.

It also provides training and employment opportunities to Aboriginal women and youth in Carnarvon and surrounding areas.

With the two new vans, ABCFL will be able to deliver food more easily to remote communities. The first van has been sent to Carnarvon and the second will cover the Mid West.

RV Solutions fitted out the vans with three sinks, water and waste tanks, a hot-water system, a supplied and fitted fridge, a large food-prep bench, gas oven and cooktop, deep fryer, 240v outlet/inlet with RCD, gas set up and certifications.

“Having a mobile kitchen allows us to cook on-site and on country, ensuring community members are receiving a freshly-made meal as opposed to a reheated frozen meal — this is more than a meal, it can be food for the soul for those who haven’t had a nutritious meal in some time,” ABCFL chief executive Alison Sentance said.

RV Solutions director Scott Earley said he and his team were happy to be involved with the project.

“It’s great to be part of a program that makes such a positive impact on our community,” he said.

“We really enjoyed building these vans and it was important for us to take the opportunity to deliver the first one in person.”

A 2020 inquiry into remote food security found the quality and variety of food available to remote communities was commonly lower than urban supermarkets and COVID-19 had exacerbated food security issues in First Nations communities.

ABCFL hopes to use the custom food vans to deliver quality food to communities and as training spaces.