Foodbank WA welcomed a new mobile food van to its fleet this week, with the bright purple vehicle replacing ageing trucks and helping the organisation reach more people in the region.

The van is designed to operate as a mobile Foodbank depot, as well as helping the Foodbank Albany team with their usual pick-ups, deliveries and outreach visits.

It was officially launched in Albany on Tuesday.

Mobile Foodbanks operate Statewide and are an important tool for the not-for-profit organisation to get food where it is needed most.

Vans park at designated locations each week to hand out food for those who cannot get to a main store.

The van was put on the road with financial support from Community Bank Albany and the WA Government, and includes a 95-litre dual-zone fridge-freezer on a slide-out drawer, allowing the crew to deliver frozen and cold items to people who can’t get to the Foodbank Albany store.

In a statement announcing the new vehicle, the organisation said the van’s fridge-freezer capabilities would open new doors for outreach to more regional and remote communities, and would facilitate pop-up community events.

Foodbank said it would also allow the team to respond more quickly and expand its footprint across the region, as well as expand the products on offer in mobile depots to include perishable items that were difficult to transport without a capable fridge or freezer.

The statement said Foodbank was excited to see the difference the new van would make to its operations and to the communities it served.

Foodbank WA provided 9.3 million meals to people doing it tough in WA in the last financial year, and with cost-of-living pressures continuing to rise, the number of people needing help to get enough food on the table is rising.

Foodbank WA chief executive Kate O’Hara said the new vehicle would give the team better capacity to reach more people in need.

“This new van strengthens our ability to reach people who are doing it tough, particularly in regional and remote areas,” she said.

“With rising cost-of-living pressures, this new van with its modern technology including improved safety features and fuel efficiency will ease operating costs and keep our services on the road.

“It has taken off some of the pressure from the current fuel crisis, and it’s helping ensure food continues to reach those who need it, safely and with dignity.”

In addition, the van’s distinctive bright purple colour will make it easy to spot on the roads.