Mandy’s Story

If I could wave a magic wand, I’d put on a traditional Christmas lunch, and enjoy something like that together. But the reality is we don’t have the money to do that.

Mandy and her two teenage daughters, Olivia and Mariah, aren’t asking for much this Christmas. They don’t have a Christmas tree, and they won’t exchange any presents. All they want is to be able to share a meal together.

As a mum who loves her daughters dearly, it pains Mandy to see her family miss out. She wants nothing more than to give some of the joy of Christmas to her daughters this year, too.

“Christmas is an expensive time really for a lot of people, and it’s really hard for myself and my kids, having no family. So, we just don’t do Christmas, it’s just another day for us. If we’re lucky enough to get invited to free Christmas lunch, then Christmas is a bit more special for us.”

For Mandy, who is struggling to find regular work due to health issues, the inability to feed her family is only adding to her stress.

“It’s horrible, it makes me feel sick to the stomach and makes you feel like a failure because you can’t provide the basics that your children need.”

After paying all of her bills, Mandy only has $45 left to cover groceries for her family of three. It means tough choices have to be made.

“My daughters don’t have the right uniforms, we can’t afford school excursions, or to go to birthday parties or movies, or any of the things that normal people do.”

Mandy can see how much it is impacting her family’s health. She says,

“We’ve all got medical conditions, because we’re not eating properly. We just don’t get enough vitamins and fresh fruit and veg and stuff that we need.”

Additional, but necessary expenses like sanitary products and medication means Mandy’s budget has to stretch even further. Prioritising food has meant Olivia and Mariah often don’t get the things they need for school, either.

“Things that they need to be able to study, like books and stationery, they don’t get.”

For Mandy, it’s hard to watch her daughters miss out. Every day she sees them go to school with an empty stomach, with little or no energy. She knows how hard it must be for them.

“As a mum, I’m seeing poor concentration, lack of sleep, just general unwell, headaches, nausea.”

Sadly, Mandy’s family is not alone. Over five million Australians have struggled to put regular meals on the table in the past year. More than half of these families skip meals at least once a week, which is something that Mandy and her daughters know all too well. Mandy says,

“We haven’t had breakfast for a couple of years now, we just don’t have the money to support breakfast.”

Christmas should be a time that everyone looks forward to, but for Mandy, it’s a time she feels the pain even more.

Not being able to share a meal with the people you love is hard at any time, and it is especially difficult at Christmas. But, with your incredible support, we will be able to provide food hampers to those in need.