Australian food and baking brands have joined forces for Plate For A Mate, campaigning to encourage Aussies to ‘share a plate with a mate’ to bolster mental health, with a focus on regional and rural communities.
Products from brands including Green’s Baking, Norco, Delite Mandarins, Humpty Doo Barramundi, Three Threes Condiments, and Our Cow are being utilised by chefs and public figures in short films with a call to action, with viewers urged to donate to the Black Dog Institute.
Now in its third year, the 2022 campaign's goal is to support the mental health of regional and rural communities, farmers, and people devastated by recent natural disasters.
The short films aim to transport Australians into the private kitchens of Manu and Clarissa Feildel, Orazio D'Elia, Jason Roberts, Diana Chan, Sarah Todd, Tom Walton, presenter James Tobin, former AFL player and anti-racism advocate, Adam Goodes; singer-songwriter, Dami Im; and comedian, Dilruk Jayasinha.
Chef Manu Feildel said: “Mental illness is so prevalent so it’s imperative we have continued conversations about it; for me, the relationship between food and wellness is inseparable so I am very excited to be involved in this project.”
Recent natural disasters have shone a light on the mental health crisis unfolding in regional Australia.
While 20 per cent of Australians will experience a mental illness each year, 68 per cent of Australians living in rural and remote areas have experienced depression and anxiety during the past two years. This is exacerbated by 26 per cent of these patients having to wait four to six weeks to access support.
Sarah Connor, Head of Service Engagement and Operations at the Black Dog Institute said, “We are so pleased that Plate For A Mate is aligning with us and has prioritised delivering mental health training in regional and rural communities through the Black Dog Institute.
The new offering by the Black Dog Institute to provide mental health training in remote communities is in response to findings that there are currently 2.5 million Australians that could benefit from low-intensity mental health services.
In 2021, Plate For A Mate raised $160,000 to combat rising food insecurity as a result of COVID-19.
