Locals turn to Box Divvy for farmer friendly fresh produce

Increased supermarket prices, rising rental costs and exorbitant bills has meant that everyone has been impacted with the rising cost of living.

For some families, the growing cost has impacted whether they can afford to buy fresh and healthy products to eat with many having to turn to unhealthier options out of sheer necessity.

The rising cost of living is why Kempsey resident Melissa Cooper joined Box Divvy first as a customer and later as a 'hubster'.

"Everyone's feeling the pinch of prices nowadays and Box Divvy is actually up to 40% cheaper than [supermarket] fruit," she said.

Box Divvy is a 'un-supermarket' social enterprise where members order fresh produce online directly from local farmers.

As a 'hubster', Ms Cooper has the produce delivered to her home where she distributes the fruit and vegetables into boxes for customers to pick up.

"We're buying fresh produce direct from farmers in a large group to make it cheaper and all the profits go back to the farmers which they deserve unlike at [large supermarkets] where they're getting a pittance from what they sell," Ms Cooper said.

"Because we are buying in bulk that is why the prices are so low and because there is no middle man that is why the farmers are getting a fair price."

Ms Cooper knows families in the Macleay are struggling to buy healthy food having seen it herself working in community services.

"Even prior to [inflation] families were struggling," she said.

"I could see families not being able to afford food and what's happening now, the prices have skyrocketed.

People are eating really unhealthy because it is cheaper."

It's a story Kempsey Neighbourhood Centre manager Shirley Kent is too familiar with.

"That's been the case for a long time for anyone on a benefit because it's never covered the costs of living but in recent times, as the costs go up...people are making less healthy choices." she said.

Ms Kent has noticed more residents are struggling to buy food with the rising costs of groceries.

The Neighbourhood Centre has had an increased demand on it's emergency relief food packages with the amount the centre pays to stock these packages increasing exponentially over the last few months.

Ms Kent knows that residents are often using cheaper starchy food or fast food as a way to feed themselves and their families.

"People are certainly innovative about trying to get through that but there's only so far that you can stretch money," she said.

"My concern is that ongoingly people are going to have major health problems because people aren't even eating remotely close to a healthy diet simply because the costs are too high."

Box Divvy customer Mary-Clare Fisher said that she knows plenty of friends struggling with the rising costs.

"I've got a friend whose struggling to get food because their rent is so high and she can't afford food," she said.

"The petrol's gone up, the food in the shops gone up, everything's gone up."

But growing costs aren't the only reason Ms Fisher turned to Box Divvy.

The support to farmers was also what attracted her to the enterprise and made her a customer.

She had considered travelling to local farms to buy produce directly herself but as a busy mum, travelling five minutes to pick up produce boxes from Ms Cooper has proven to be easier.

"Farmers get hardly any of what they're making you pay for at the shops, and this is paying directly to the farmer," she said.

"I just like supporting that sort of stuff."

Buying from Box Divvy has had an additional benefit for Ms Fisher's family.

"[The kids and I] will go and collect this big box of fruit and it's like Christmas time when they get there," she said.

"It encourages them as well so they're eating a lot more than what they were before we started getting [Box Divvy].

They're really enjoying it."

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