When life changes in a single phone call

Chinta still remembers the phone call.

She was camping down south with her husband when the Department of Child Protection rang. The voice was calm but urgent. They needed to know that day if she could take her granddaughter into her care. If not, the baby would go into foster care.

“We packed up straight away and drove back to Perth. It was confronting. I didn’t expect this,” she says.

Her granddaughter was just two months old then. Today, she’s six, almost seven, and the light of Chinta’s life. But the road to here hasn’t been easy.

When Chinta’s son ended up in prison and his partner struggled with hardship and homelessness, the call came. For the first three years, the child’s mother only visited two or three times. “I guess the writing was on the wall,” Chinta reflects. “I never thought I’d be raising his child full-time.”

For Chinta, who already had eight children, it felt like starting all over again. Her youngest was 14 at the time, her oldest 45. “It felt like I’d never left parenting,” she laughs. “But we accepted that family had to look after family. And we just enjoyed her growing up.”

Her three sons who still live at home treat the little girl like a sister. That’s made all the difference.

It hasn’t been without pain. The child’s mother has turned her life around. She’s expecting her third baby and slowly reconnecting with her firstborn. Chinta encourages the bond, even though it hurts. “She deserves a second chance. They both do,” she says. “Maybe next year, she’ll be ready to live with her mum. My granddaughter has mixed feelings, but I tell her to explore the idea. I’ll support them both, no matter what.”

When asked what she wishes people understood about grandparents raising grandchildren, Chinta doesn’t hesitate. “Whatever the situation, you have to have patience. You never know what someone is going through. We’re lucky – we own our home. But with three sons and a granddaughter living here, everything adds up. Support from friends and community means the world.”

She shares a hard truth too. “You don’t know what’s around the corner. Just enjoy them. They grow so quickly. She’ll be seven next year – I can’t believe it.”

Chinta first heard about Foodbank through Wanslea. For the past three years, she’s been a customer, visiting our Perth Airport branch about five times a year when things get really tight. “It makes a difference,” she says. “Milk, bread, veggies, yoghurt – my granddaughter loves yoghurt! There’s always something different, and it makes you creative in the kitchen. If you have flour, sugar, eggs – you have food. Be grateful for what you have.”

With the cost-of-living crisis biting hard, Chinta knows how vital Foodbank is. “It’s a wonderful organisation. We need it in this country. Prices seem to go up every day – it’s scary.”

Chinta’s story is one of resilience, love and second chances. She’s proof that family can rise above hardship when hearts stay open. Her advice? “Reach out for help. Community organisations like Foodbank make a difference. And just love them – your kids, your grandkids. They grow so fast.”