Finding Foodbank meant finding a safety net 

Shane and Sarah are brave, hardworking and generous people. They worked hard to ensure they have everything they needed for their family.

Always a ‘doer’ and wanting to ensure their family’s financial security, Shane and Sarah decided to start their own business together. They meticulously wrote their business plan, raised their capital and invested all their savings, some of which was to eventually pay for their much-anticipated wedding.

A part of the business plan included that Sarah would continue to work full-time, while Shane worked part-time and set-up their company.

They were both so excited for what the future held for them, until the second day of trading, that is. That’s when Sarah lost her job, and they felt their lives begin to unravel.

They had invested everything they had into their company, and the nature of their business meant it would take months and months for them to get invoices paid once clients were signed up. As a result, they, by their own admission ended up in in a hole pretty quickly.

That’s when Shane’s mother suggested they reach out to Foodbank.  

Shane was very resistant to asking for help in the beginning, his pride got in the way and he didn’t want to admit that they needed help.

“We’ve always done fairly well, you know, at least average, financially, and we have never been in this kind of position. We give to a lot of charities as well. We never thought that we’d have to be on the receiving end of it. That was quite difficult.”

Speaking of Foodbank, Shane said, “The beautiful thing about this place, it’s all great quality stuff at the prices that I remember things being in the 90s, when you could support a household with two or three kids on one, nine to five income, you know. It’s just a different world now.”

A cost-of-living crisis which is ravaging our country means that nobody is immune to finding themselves in a tricky financial situation. It’s impacting most people to varying degrees.

For Shane and his family, coming to Foodbank was the difference between having to sell one or even both of their cars and meant they and their children had access to healthy nutritious food and didn’t feel the full impact of the severity of the family’s financial situation. 

It meant they had a safety net of sorts, with budget friendly prices at Foodbank meaning they could free up more of their very limited budget to pay for other essentials, such as house and car repayments, utility and power bills and things for their growing children, fearing they would be teased if they were seen to be different at school.

Asked what advice he would give to anyone in a similar position Shane said that you need to swallow your pride and use the help before you get past the point of no return financially.

“I never thought that I’d be in the position where I needed this. It’s not just for homeless people. It’s not just for people below the poverty line. If you’ve worked really hard to get to where you are in life, and because of situations that can often be out of your control, if everything is going to come crashing down, everything that you’ve worked for – this place is here to provide that kind of stepping stone or, just that bit of support, while you’re trying to sort everything out and bring everything back to homeostasis.” 

A big believer in giving back, Shane said that even though finances go up and down, he and Sarah had always made a point of maintaining their giving to charity even when things got quite tough.

For Shane and Sarah’s family, Foodbank was the difference between falling deeper and deeper into financial hardship and finding the will to keep fighting.

They aren’t entirely out of the woods yet by any stretch of the means, but they are definitely on the up and up. They are finally receiving the invoiced fees from their business which they have been working on for months, which means there’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel for them.

For Shane and Sarah, coming to Foodbank kept their spirits high, because even though there was a time when they were only a day away from defaulting on their mortgage repayments, they were able to make ends meet and avoid any bad credit rating due to the support they received.

“You know, I don’t think I would have been able to maintain the motivation had things gotten much worse, and so, Foodbank helped us to keep our keep our heads above water and keep our chins high while we worked through the tough times.”

If you or anyone you know is experiencing food insecurity, don’t struggle in silence and reach out today for a referral on 1800 979 777. 

Making life a little bit easier 

Mark’s wife was involved in an accident which left her disabled for life. This led to the couple battling with the NDIS for assistance for more than three years – despite having numerous letters from doctors, expensive specialists and even Centrelink. Their experience has left them feeling like they are simply being discouraged from accessing help they rightly deserved – and desperately need – by being asked to fill out form after form and asked to submit more documentation about Nicole’s condition with no end in sight. 

Unable to get the assistance they needed, and with each essential specialist’s appointment costing upwards of $400, the couple went through all of their savings, followed by their Super and are now living in state housing. Mark had to give up his job to become his wife’s full-time carer, placing further strain on their finances. The benefit he receives now is equal to what two days’ work would have been for him.

Not only did Mark and Nicole have to adjust to the very abrupt and lifechanging situation hey found themselves in through absolutely no fault of their own, they had to find a way to survive whilst also getting Nicole the care and treatment she required. 

Finding Foodbank was game changing for Mark and Nicole. Mark says that being able to shop at discounted prices, great range of well-priced meat, along with the free fruit and vegetables, has been phenomenal. While they have both had to adapt how they eat and the types of food they cook, thanks to Foodbank they aren’t missing out on nutritious and healthy meals.

“I have spoken to other customers at the Peel branch and so many have told me that before finding Foodbank, they had to skip meals so that they could feed their kids. It’s a very harsh reality for some. There are so many people who thanks to Foodbank now send their kids to school with a full tummy in the morning. That’s a beautiful thing.” 

While Mark still occasionally feels ashamed for having to ask for help, it’s become easier for him because he finds that the staff and volunteers at the branch are supportive and there’s no judgement at all. 

“Nobody wants a handout. They want to stand on their own two feet. But sometimes you just need to swallow your pride and ask for help, it’s worth it for your family. Even cats and dogs are taken care of at Foodbank, with pet supplies often on offer. Foodbank makes life just that little bit easier.”

If you or anyone you know is experiencing food insecurity, don’t struggle in silence and reach out for a referral today on 1800 979 777.