More than food: What did we lose when shopping became so convenient?
Distributed by Lanham Media on behalf of Box Divvy
This Mental Health Month, why thousands of Australians are embracing a different way to shop – bringing food, purpose and human connection back into focus as everyday ingredients of wellbeing.
This Mental Health Month, why thousands of Australians are embracing a different way to shop – bringing food, purpose and human connection back into focus as everyday ingredients of wellbeing.
There was a time when buying food meant knowing your local butcher, greengrocer or corner-store owner, bumping into neighbours and having some connection to where the food on the table came from.
Today, groceries can be ordered from a screen and arrive at the door without us speaking to another person. Convenience has made life easier, but as Australia marks Mental Health Month this October, it also raises an interesting question: have we inadvertently designed some of the things that make us feel good out of everyday life?
Food, community and purpose are hardly new ideas. Yet community food social enterprise Box Divvy is seeing how bringing them together around something as ordinary as the weekly grocery shop can create benefits well beyond what ends up on the plate.
Box Divvy was created to make fresh food more affordable, with members ordering online before collecting their groceries from neighbourhood Hubs – often run from garages or homes by local community members, affectionately known as ‘Hubsters’. What its founders didn’t anticipate was the community that would grow around them.
“We started with a pretty simple problem: how do we make good fresh food more affordable and accessible? What we didn’t anticipate was everything that would grow around that,” Box Divvy co-founder Jayne Travers-Drapes said.
“There’s nothing wrong with convenience – people are busy and we all need it. What’s interesting is whether we can have convenience without taking people completely out of the equation.
“At a Hub, people stop and talk. They get to know the person they’re collecting their food from and the other members. They swap recipes, collect an order when someone is sick and check in on each other. Those small interactions can become something much bigger.”
Convenience can have another, less visible cost: it can also shape what we eat.
What ends up in our shopping baskets is influenced by more than individual choice. Cost, time, availability and the way food is marketed and sold all play a part. Ultra-processed foods now make up a substantial proportion of the Australian diet, while eating and cooking with fresh, minimally processed ingredients requires those foods to be accessible, affordable and practical for everyday life.
That matters because a growing body of research is examining the relationship between diet and mental health. Australian researchers have been at the forefront of that work. In the landmark SMILES trial, Professor Felice Jacka and researchers at Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre found that adults experiencing moderate to severe depression who received dietary support showed significantly greater improvement in depressive symptoms over 12 weeks than those receiving social support.
Dietitians Australia describes food and mood as a “two-way street” – what we eat can affect how we feel, while how we feel can also influence what we choose to eat.
If good food can play a part in how we feel, being able to afford it matters. Box Divvy aims to address that through collective purchasing via neighbourhood Hubs, making fresh food more affordable for members while returning a greater share of the food dollar to farmers and suppliers.
Yet affordability is only part of what has emerged around the model. For Hubsters, the weekly ritual of sorting and dividing food can bring its own sense of purpose and connection.
“Some Hubsters call those few hours their Zen time,” Ms Travers-Drapes said. “There’s something very grounding about working with your hands and with fresh food. You’re focused on something real and tangible, and you can see what you’ve achieved at the end of it.
“There’s also a real sense of purpose. Hubsters are earning an income, but they also know they’re helping feed people in their community, supporting Australian growers and suppliers and creating a place where neighbours connect. Maybe it speaks to something quite fundamental in us – being connected to food and nature, contributing to the community around us and feeling that what we do matters.”
Then there are the relationships that grow simply because people have a reason to see the same neighbours regularly. Members collect orders for someone who can’t make it, swap recipes, check in on one another and offer practical help when someone is going through a difficult time.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has highlighted the importance of social connection to health and wellbeing, reporting that loneliness and social isolation can harm both mental and physical health.
“You can’t manufacture community,” Ms Travers-Drapes said. “You can give people reasons to come together, though, and sometimes community grows from there.”
“Mental Health Month is a reminder that wellbeing is shaped by many things, including some of the most ordinary parts of our lives – eating well, having a sense of purpose and feeling connected to the people around us.”
ENDS
Distributed by Lanham Media on behalf of Box Divvy
Media contacts:
Greg Townley | [email protected] | 0414 195 908
Fleur Townley | [email protected] | 0405 278 758
Case studies:
- Naomi, Dapto NSW – Naomi started her Box Divvy Hub during COVID, after losing her job and while navigating the challenges of supporting a child with additional needs. She says the Hub provided flexibility, purpose and a sense of connection at a difficult time. Five years later, her 55-family Hub has become what she calls an “external village”, where members check in on each other and support those going through tough times, including through a kindness box for members who need a little extra help. Naomi has also experienced the support of the wider Hubster community, including a fellow Hubster organising a meal train when it was needed. Naomi can speak about how having a genuine community around you can make life’s difficult periods that little bit easier.
- Sara Jackson, Mudgee NSW – Sara describes becoming a Hubster and growing her Box Divvy community as life-changing. Having lived with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, PTSD and significant social anxiety since her teens, the mum of three says she missed working and feeling she could contribute beyond her own family. Running her Hub has given her that sense of purpose again – helping other families access affordable, healthy food while building a supportive community around her. The weekly pick-ups give Sara regular opportunities for one-on-one conversation and connection without the overwhelm she can experience in larger social situations, while those small interactions have grown into friendships and broader connections between members. Two years on, her Hub has almost 40 families who regularly see, check in on and support one another. Sara says the experience has been life-changing for her confidence, self-worth and wellbeing, while creating the kind of community connection that can help people through difficult times
- Sam, Newcastle – after 20 years in corporate and legal services, experienced a significant decline in her mental health and was unable to work for six months. Taking on a Hub has helped her gradually rebuild confidence and capacity while reconnecting with community.
- Other case studies may be available on request
Media assets available here
General media assets available here
About Box Divvy
Box Divvy is a free, community-driven food co-op that connects households with fresh, seasonal produce and healthy pantry staples. With over 400 local Hubs and 16,000 members across NSW, VIC, ACT, and QLD, it’s a simple and affordable way to shop - no membership fees, just a regular commitment to order. Each Hub is run by a neighbour, and members collaborate to reduce waste, share deliveries, and keep costs low. By supporting mostly Australian and local suppliers, Box Divvy helps families eat well, live more sustainably, and make food choices they can feel good about. Find out more at boxdivvy.com.au