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While hunger is sometimes visible on the street, increasingly it’s hidden behind closed doors.
Hunger and food stress can impact anyone, at any time and it can happen suddenly, through illness, marriage breakdowns or job loss. Having a home, a job, a degree, a car, a mobile phone or children doesn’t make you immune to this epidemic, however it can make your suffering invisible to others.
With hunger on the rise, we’re sharing some of the real stories of those impacted by hunger in our community.
Bo-Anne’s Story
Bo-Anne’s is one of them. A single mum of three, like many parents, her world revolves around her children. Almost a decade ago her youngest, at just 20 months, needed a kidney transplant.
Bo-Anne’s world turned upside down. Caring for her son and two young daughters became her full-time job, pushing career stability out of reach.
“I’m on a carer’s pension for my son who had a kidney transplant when he was 20 months old. He’s 11 now but there’s always some sort of sickness or illness that comes with it. It’s a 24-hour job, so to try and get in the workforce and be dependable, is quite hard.”
“Foodbank has been helping me for so many years,” he shared. “I’ve been coming here for three and half years, since COVID hit.”
“If we weren’t going to Foodbank, we’d be living off chips, 79 cent biscuits, and 50 cent wafers. We just wouldn’t be getting the quality I’m able to offer the girls by shopping with Foodbank.”
“I now stop missing meals in order to feed my family. I have a vehicle that is registered because I had money to pay the registration so my husband can be taken to rehabilitation and my son to Fiona Stanley Hospital for appointments. Without accessing Foodbank, I would be unable to put food on the table or to pay my other utilities.”
“Admitting you need help is the hardest thing,” Jane shares. “It takes someone brave to speak up. For a long time, I didn’t and it just got worse and worse. The bills kept coming and I ended up in a bad financial situation.”
“It’s not always easy. The Mobile Foodbank just allows me to feed my family the nutritious meals they deserve. If you’re experiencing financial stress and finding it hard to meet everyday needs, come to Foodbank.”
“My flatmate, my best mate, had to go to hospital for eight days. In the course of that, money went flying out and we found ourselves at the end of the first pay broke. I’m here seeking help from this lovely mob. They took all the worries out of my hands.”
“I couldn’t put food on the table… it’s something you don’t plan for. You plan for emergencies in the house or something breaking, you don’t plan for an injury on one of your kids. Life, it happens to all of us”
“It’s just been a lifesaver to come to a place like this. I just appreciate it so much, it’s been a saviour. (Being told to seek compensation) you get treated very badly, like a criminal. I am a strong woman and against all odds, I am always going to find a way to keep going.”
“This has really helped in being able to afford food as well as everything else. I’m struggling and I can’t imagine how other people are so this place is like a Godsend. Bills come first and then food. Now, I am eating better because you get everything you need here.”
“I’m only on a disability support pension, it’s only myself and a pussycat at home. Trying to maintain a house on just a pension is difficult and with the rising cost of COVID, it’s made life just a little bit easier having Foodbank as a backup to get the essentials through.”
“This can happen to anybody. You add up all of these bills and there’s nothing left. I’ve said to so many people, if it wasn’t for Foodbank, I don’t know what would have happened to our family.”
“You feel like a bit of a failure, you know. Your kids should be well fed, well dressed. I never want my kid to go to school and feel like he’s an outcast. Coming to visit Foodbank helps me achieve a sense of supporting my family and I can now feel relief.”
“When I was standing in line, it was a little bit nerve wracking. You feel a bit like ‘oh this is me, this is where I’m at right now.’ But then you get the food parcel and you look through it and you can’t help but smile.”
“As a single mum with a young family, making ends meet isn’t easy. But thankfully Foodbank has been there for me and my family in one way or another over the years”.
“It filled me with an overwhelming sense of relief. At this time I would not eat food so my daughter never went hungry. Foodbank helped me take care of myself so I could take care of her.”
“My husband and I were both working full time, taking long holidays and really enjoying life. Then the unexpected happened and we became guardians of our two year old grandson Blair”
“We have food but we struggle a lot, if it wasn’t for the help from food charities such as Foodbank WA I really don’t know what we would do. I often skip meals to make sure my daughter eats”
“Being there for my grandchildren has a price. There will be no security for me if I am blessed to live a long life. The future can take care of itself. For now, Foodbank WA is taking care of us.
“I can’t work due to health issues and with a pension. I’m on a on disability pension but it is very difficult to afford the basics like rent, electricity, gas. That doesn’t leave much for food.”
“We’ve been together for almost four years and have been relying on Foodbank to feed our family. Glenn is on a disability pension and I look after the kids, our youngest is only 18 months old.”
“I’ve been living with crippling depression and anxiety for more than 14 years. The assistance I get from Foodbank WA helps me in so many ways. Without Foodbank I would have no food in my house.”
“Foodbank has helped us through times of financial and family stress, and loss. I can still count on a welcome smile and a laugh when I visit, which makes a big difference to my day, besides the support with food and groceries.”
“It amazes me with the pension, the minimum wage is $700 or something a week? And the pension’s $960 or something a fortnight? It’s just the cost of living that’s the killer. The cost of living is incredible so I’m grateful for anything that helps.”