Foodbank appeals for help

To help Peel's most vulnerable residents avoid starvation, Foodbank is calling for more donations heading into the middle of winter.

Manager Caroline Cox appreciated the donation of 700kg of cans from six schools in Mandurah and Rockingham last week, but said it fell short of the rising demand.

"While this is a stellar effort from the kids and teachers, we supply around 25,000kg a month - the equivalent of 33,333 meals - and we still don't meet the demand," she said.

"The need is increasingly growing, unfortunately.

"We have staple food items such as cous cous and flour, but when customers are facing so much financial hardship, stress and anxiety the last thing that they want or have the capacity to think about is creating good nutritious meals, so they reach for the canned vegie soup or the much simpler convenient option."

Assistant manager Peter Retallack said while customers accepted Foodbank's shelves would not be stocked like the supermarket giants, the organisation wanted to provide as many easy and nutritious options as possible.

"Shoppers struggle to make a variety of meals with what we offer here. You might survive on it, but pasta every night doesn't provide a source of all the important food groups," he said.

"We are catering to those who have limited capacity to purchase, so therefore the meal creativity and variety is limited."

Ms Cox urged Peel residents who wanted to help to donate tinned soups and pre-prepared meals.

For growers in the region, she urged them to consider donating vegetables for a project starting this month. On July 15, Crown Perth is supplying 45 chefs to chop, prepare and freeze as many vegetables as possible at Foodbank WA's new kitchen at the Perth airport.

Ms Cox said the project was launched as a direct result of a shortage of fresh and frozen vegetables at its branches.