More than 14,000 people in the Bendigo region use Bendigo Foodshare each month.
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The statistic equates to one in 11 people not getting regular meals.
Bendigo Foodshare, who provides food for people in need launched their Million Meals in May campaign on Monday.
The campaign will raise $67,000 in May to provide food for the equivalent of one million meals.
To aid the fundrasiing campaign, Bendigo Foodshare chairwoman Cathie Steele also launch a Bendigo Foodshare cookbook.
The cookbook feature simple, nutirious meals that can be made cheaply.
“We often hear of people giving food out but (recipients) don't know what to do with it. So the cookbook was something useful as well as a fundraiser,” she said.
“If one dollar is enough for 16 meals, then paying $20 for a cookbook can provide food for 320 meals.”
World Vision food security advisor Brian Hilton spoke at the launch and said food education was important.
“I'm amazed how many people don't know how to prepare food,” he said.
“There’s a a need here to not only know how to make food but nutritious food that isn't so expensive.”
Dr Hilton said food poverty was not just a third-world problem.
He said he heard about Bendigo Foodshare’s work about four months ago.
“It's a brilliant idea and really necessary,” he said.
“The other thing that impresses me is how Bendigo Foodshare eliminates food waste.
“I hadn’t thought of the water it takes to produce that food but in Australia you've got to think about how much water it takes to produce stuff that you're throwing out.”
Ms Steele said an average of 2.2 million tonnes of food were thrown out by Australians each year.
“In a first-world country like Australia, food is thrown away at farm level or from our fridges,” she said.
For more information on the Million Meals in May campaign or to buy a copy of Bendigo Foodshare’s cookbook log on to www.bendigofoodshare.org.au