More kids than ever are going to school hungry

Rising food prices and the cost-of-living crisis mean many families simply can’t afford to provide three meals a day.

The School Breakfast Program is a lifeline for these children. Every morning, it provides them with a nutritious start to the school day, including toast, cereals, milk and fresh fruit.

But here’s the reality: demand for this program is growing. Last year we distributed more than 1 million school breakfasts and lunches to students in South Australia and the Northern Territory – more than ever before. At the start of this school year, we can already see that even more kids will need our help this year.

A coordinator in rural South Australia recently told us: “Without the School Breakfast Program, we’d see so many hungry tummies. Parents are struggling to pay for healthy food, and kids come to school unfocused and unable to learn. But with breakfast and fresh fruit provided, they’re ready to tackle the day.”

Hunger should never be a barrier to education, but sadly, it is for far too many children in our community. Thanks to your continued support, we can provide hungry kids with food to help them concentrate, learn, play and thrive.

Help us get more vital food to vulnerable South Australians and Territorians in need. For every $1 donated we can distribute 2 meals to someone in need.

Last Christmas, we shared Grace’s story with you – the loving mother of four who works tirelessly to care for her family.

Grace and her husband, Daniel, were facing an unthinkable reality; having to ‘cancel’ Christmas. No presents under the tree, no festive dinner, not even the comfort of a warm meal for their children. Like so many others, they were pushed to the brink by the soaring cost of living.

But because of your incredible generosity, families like Grace’s experienced something remarkable. Thanks to you, we distributed Christmas hampers filled with essential food and festive treats, transforming a time of fear and sleepless nights into one of joy and hope.

Grace shared her gratitude in a way that touched us all:

“Unless you’ve experienced it firsthand, you may not realise just how much it means. That Christmas hamper equaled hope and gave us so much joy. On behalf of my family and many others like us, thank you so much.”

Your kindness didn’t just provide a meal or a gift; it gave Grace and her family something much deeper: the sense that they were not alone. It reminded them that there are people like you, willing to help carry their burdens during the hardest times.

Sadly, Grace’s struggles aren’t over. Her family now faces another upheaval as their landlord has decided to sell the home, they thought they could finally settle in. Once again, Grace is faced with the uncertainty of finding a safe place for her children to live in an increasingly challenging housing market.

Despite these setbacks, Grace remains profoundly grateful for the lifeline you have given her family. Even in the face of uncertainty, she shared:

“Your support has meant the world to us. Knowing someone cares and is willing to help gives us the strength to keep going. I can’t thank you enough for standing by us.”

Because of you, Grace has hope. Your support has been a source of light for her family during their darkest times, and we will continue to stand with her – providing the essentials she needs to keep her family safe and cared for.

Thank you for being a part of Grace’s story. It is because of people like you that families like Grace’s can face these challenges with courage and dignity. Together, we are making a difference, one family at a time.

Help us get more vital food to vulnerable South Australians and Territorians in need. For every $1 donated we can distribute 2 meals to someone in need.

One way you can make a truly lasting difference is by leaving a gift in your Will.

It doesn’t need to be large. Even 1% of your estate, after your loved ones are cared for, can help make sure Foodbank is always here for people doing it tough. It means we can keep our warehouses stocked, our trucks moving and our support reaching communities when disaster strikes, whether it’s fires, floods or the ongoing cost of living crisis.

A gift in your Will is a powerful act of hope. It says you believe in a future where no child goes hungry, where families in crisis have somewhere to turn and where no one is left behind. People like Jenny are already making that choice.

Jenny has spent her life helping others, as a nurse, community worker and passionate advocate for people doing it tough. Over the years, she has seen firsthand how food insecurity impacts people, especially those experiencing homelessness, mental illness and disadvantage.

Through her work, Jenny often found herself supporting people in moments of deep vulnerability, those who had run out of options and needed something as simple and essential as a meal. It was in those moments that she saw how something small, like access to food, could restore dignity and hope.

That is why she has chosen to leave a gift in her Will to Foodbank SA & NT.

“I have seen too many people fall through the cracks,” she says. “Foodbank reaches them. They are practical, reliable and they get food to the people who need it most. I want that to continue long after I am gone.”

For Jenny, this decision is not about recognition. It comes from a place of deep compassion and a lifelong commitment to looking out for others.

A lifelong garden lover, Jenny also sees her gift as planting something lasting, seeds of support and care that will grow long after she is gone. Her legacy will help ensure families in crisis have somewhere to turn. Her kindness will continue nourishing lives for years to come.

“I do not want applause or praise. I just want to do what I can, and I wish I could do more. If even one person reads this and thinks maybe I could leave a bequest too, then it is worth it,” said Jenny.

If you are considering a gift in your Will to Foodbank SA & NT, feel free to email Beth at fundraising@foodbanksa.org.au or call on (08) 8351 1136 for a confidential chat.

Together we can leave a legacy that feeds generations to come.

Then Kimberly suffered a spinal injury that required emergency surgery. Medical bills piled up, income vanished, and they found themselves in financial crisis. With no other option, they moved further regional, hoping to stretch what little they had.

Thanks to your kindness, families like Richard and Kimberly’s have made it through winter with warm meals on the table. Your generosity has provided not just food but hope and dignity.

“When you’ve lost so much, even being able to choose your groceries means something. It gives you back a little control and dignity. Going to Foodbank reminds us that we’re not alone – and that means everything,” Kimberly said.

Since shopping at the regional Mobile Food Hub, life has slowly started to turn a corner and some beautiful, mutually beneficial community support has started to unfold; “A couple of younger friends expecting a baby live in a caravan. They’ll rent our big front room, so they have a proper roof over their heads – and we get some income, which will help us with our financial situation,” Richard shared.

“We’ve also been blessed by a friend in town who runs a couple of shops and has started selling some of the flower stock we still have. It’s another way to earn a bit – and it gives us hope.”

Your support has helped this family through their darkest times, providing food, hope and dignity. Thank you for standing by them – and the thousands of families who need us now more than ever.

Help us get more vital food to vulnerable South Australians and Territorians in need. For every $1 donated we can distribute 2 meals to someone in need.