A full pantry and a lighter load

That changed when it became clear their daughter needed full‑time, high‑level support. Tina stepped away from her career to care for her, doing what was best for her family, even though it was not the path they had planned. They tried to make one income stretch by cutting every extra and using their savings, but as the cost of living continued to rise, it became harder to keep up.

Tina remembers sitting at the kitchen table, bills spread out in front of her, trying again and again to make the numbers add up.

“I kept trying to make the numbers work, but they just wouldn’t,” she says. “There was nothing left.”

Her biggest worry was her daughter. She is autistic and prefers certain foods and as prices rose, buying those foods became impossible. Her daughter loves fish, but they had to stop putting it in the trolley and each time Tina had to explain they could not afford it, it broke her heart.

Tina had heard of Foodbank WA before, but she thought we were there for people doing it tougher than she was. She never imagined her family would need help. Many people feel the same, right up until the moment the pressure becomes too much.

“Picking up the phone to ask for help was one of the hardest things I’ve done,” she says.

That call changed everything. Tina spoke to a team member who listened with warmth and without judgement and for the first time in a long while, she felt a little of the weight lift.

When she arrived at Foodbank Bunbury for the first time, she sat in her car gathering the courage to walk inside.

“Walking toward the door, something in me just broke,” she says. “But as soon as I stepped inside, everyone was so kind. I felt safe straight away.”

Inside, she noticed people from all walks of life, families, pensioners, people in work clothes and students in school uniforms.

“I looked around and thought, it’s everyone. Anyone can find themselves needing help”, Tina says.

Shopping with us changed things in both, practical and emotional ways. When Tina saw fish on the shelves at a price they could afford, she nearly cried again, but this time it was relief. “I could finally make her favourite dinner,” she says.

Now, Tina can fill four bags for around $45, knowing the same groceries would cost close to $200 elsewhere. Her daughter has the same snacks and fruit in her lunchbox as other children and feels like she belongs. “It might sound small but to a mum, it means everything.”

Tina no longer feels ashamed. She feels grateful.

“Having Foodbank in our lives feels like a gift,” she says. “Having a full pantry and a lighter load.”

Tina’s story is one of many we see every day, families doing everything they can, families who never thought they would need help and families who just need a little breathing space during a hard moment.

Donations help us be there in those moments. They help keep our shelves stocked with affordable essentials, support our Community Kitchen and keep our Mobile Foodbank on the road. Most importantly, they help us say yes when someone like Tina walks through our doors, offering dignity, kindness and the chance for a full pantry and a lighter load.