All Stacey wants is to give her son a better life, even if it means going without meals herself.

Stacey didn’t think she’d ever have to ask for help – let alone food. Stacey’s proud and hardworking. She pays her own way and is doing her best to give her son a happy, healthy childhood. And she’s doing it alone – without any financial support.

When Stacey’s son Blake was just three years old, her relationship with his father ended badly. She had to raise Blake completely on her own, without any financial support from his father. Stacey and Blake moved to a rural Queensland town to be closer to her mum. In such a small place, Stacey was thrilled to find an admin job at a local supermarket with hours to fit Blake’s schooling. It was a second chance for this hardworking mum, who had big dreams of a secure, happy future for Blake. But few of Stacey’s colleagues knew her secret: she would often go without meals to make ends meet.

“My son knows we’re poor. I think he gets sick of me saying it all the time. I feel like I’ve failed because these are basic needs that I should be able to cover. It’s not something I tell people – I just internalise it and keep on going,” says Stacey.

Stacey is grateful to have a job, when so many others in Queensland’s regional towns are without one. But like many low-earning single parents, she barely scrapes by. After paying her rent, bills and for Blake’s school expenses, there is little money left for food. And what she has goes to Blake, ensuring he has proper school lunches and enough for dinner.

“If I had a bill coming up, I’d usually just have a coffee for breakfast, and go without dinner for a few nights. It just had to be done. Blake needs to do well, so everything goes to him so that he can flourish. As depressing as it sounds, I just want to survive,” says Stacey.

When COVID-19 hit, things went from bad to worse. During the pandemic lockdown, Blake had to be home-schooled, and Stacey used up most of her holiday and sick leave to care for him. Then when the next school holidays arrived, she had to take unpaid leave to be with Blake, putting huge pressure on her budget.

“I just wouldn’t eat. I’d distract myself from the hunger by watching TV, playing with Blake or cleaning obsessively,” she says.

At this lonely, hungry time, something wonderful happened one day when Stacey took Blake to a family fun day. A volunteer from one of Foodbank’s Member Charities was reaching out to local families in crisis. Stacey learnt she was able to access regular Foodbank hampers, to help ease some of the pressure – a gift that she’s grateful for to this day.

“Going hungry feels hopeless. It’s terrifying sometimes. It was just such a relief to know I could receive a Foodbank hamper each month – it makes such a difference,” says Stacey.

Today, Stacey feels incredibly grateful for the food hamper she now receives each month – it’s much easier to sleep at night, knowing she can eat tomorrow.

“Foodbank hampers have a trickle-down effect. Blake is more focused at school, and everything at my job works out a little better, because I’m not stressed all the time. With the money I can now save, I can afford swimming lessons for Blake, just like his friends,” says Stacey.

Many single parents like Stacey know what it’s like to go hungry to keep their children fed. Your generosity will give food and hope to hungry families throughout Queensland.

Every $1 you donate will provide two nutritious meals to someone facing hunger like Stacey.

Stacey is a real Queenslander in need. You can help.

Harvest Angels helps Queenslanders in need with vital food relief 

Harvest Angels is one of Foodbank Queensland’s incredible Member Charities providing vital support to many struggling families in the Somerset Region and beyond.

Located in Lowood, a rural Queensland town and home to approximately 4,100 people, Harvest Angels offers free and discounted food, including low-cost food hampers, to anyone needing a helping hand.

All hampers are prepared by volunteers and include a generous box of fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, dry goods, pantry items, and a bag of cold and frozen items, with delivery available to anyone in need. Harvest Angels also runs an Op Shop, selling clothes, shoes, toys, and books, where families can . The charity also provides furniture, appliances, kitchenware, and linen. Many of these items are provided free to locals in desperate need.

The Somerset Region was one of many that were hit hard by the floods. Sadly, Harvest Angels has been inundated with requests for support, seeing people coming from as far as Toowoomba, Lockyer Valley, Esk, Gatton, Laidley and Ipswich for much needed food relief following the floods.

Lisa Smith, the President and Founder of Harvest Angels, said the charity would be supporting flood-affected families for many months through their long journey to recovery.

“With the support of Foodbank, we have been able to provide a huge amount of food to people – so much more than we normally could. I estimate we are feeding approximately 400 to 500 extra people per week since the floods,” she said.

Hundreds of local families currently seeking support from Harvest Angels have never needed food relief before. Unfortunately, the impacts of the floods and the increase in cost of living is making it difficult for struggling families to make ends meet.

One community, in the Somerset Region, facing extremely difficult times is a disadvantaged community in the rural town of Atkinsons Dam. Foodbank Queensland and Harvest Angels, together with Foodbank Member Charities Ipswich Foodbarn, Lockyer Food Pantry and FareShare, have been collaborating on a project to get emergency food and ready-made meals to the families in Atkinsons Dam who were impacted by the floods. In one month, we have supplied six full pallets of FareShare meals and 60 pallets of essential groceries to provide much-needed support.

Thanks to their team of volunteers, Harvest Angels has helped distribute 40 pallets of essential food to the local families in Atkinsons Dam. Lisa said many of the families were impacted by the floods, displaced from their homes, and were incredibly grateful for the support.

“We took so much food and it all went. We also managed to get some pet food out there which was urgently needed,” she said.

Harvest Angels was founded in 2011 by Lisa Smith after facing hardships of her own and learning that there was no local support network. In 2011, while in a domestic violence relationship and struggling with the challenges and expenses that came with her disability, Lisa then lost everything when her home was destroyed in the floods. For the first time, she was forced to reach out for help. Unable to find any local relief services and knowing many others in need of food support, Lisa founded Harvest Angels, using money from her Centrelink payment, she bought a second-hand fridge, freezer and food stock. With the help of generous volunteers, Lisa and the Harvest Angels team are now helping hundreds of families facing hardship every week.

Foodbank is proud to have been working with Harvest Angels since 2014, to ensure Queenslanders in need have access to essential food when they need it most.

Lisa said 95% of the food Harvest Angels provides is from Foodbank Queensland, and in between their weekly visits to Foodbank, they collect fresh bread from the local Coles to top up.

“Foodbank is our backbone, without the help and support we have been receiving, we would not be able to feed any of these people,” she said.

If you are a Queensland charity,  Foodbank Queensland membership is a great way to support your food relief projects, offering your organisation a reliable source of food and groceries all year round. 

If you are in a position to help Foodbank Queensland provide more food across the state to support Queenslanders in need, please consider joining the fight against hunger as a regular giver. 

When everything that mattered got ripped away, Foodbank supporters gave Melissa hope.

After enduring years of domestic violence, while fighting to keep her family together, one particular incident saw Melissa left with a devastating brain injury. At just 36 years old, and with 5 children to protect, Melissa suffered the loss of her speech, her ability to walk and even take care of herself. Worst of all, she felt powerless to protect her children and because of her injury, they couldn’t stay with her.

Melissa’s ex-partner gained custody of their five-year-old twin boys and three teenage girls. Although Melissa was no longer able to work or drive, she still had to scrape together money to pay the family’s bills. She was desperate to regain custody of her children, who she feared were at risk.

Melissa’s ex was soon imprisoned, and she was having intense therapy to learn to speak again. By then, she was living in public housing, on a disability pension. As her brain injury caused many limitations, she had an NDIS support worker and her children were living with relatives. She saw them for two-hour visits each Friday – the most precious time of the week.

As Melissa was regaining her speech, she hoped to get a job. She wanted to get her children back and create a stable life. But constant headaches, brain fuzz, anxiety and communication struggles made it impossible. The cost of medications was huge, and every other cent went to food for her children. After years of unimaginable trauma, Melissa was now going hungry.

“Sometimes I wouldn’t eat for days, as I wanted to save what little bit of money I had left to provide for my kids during their visits. I was often starving, but my babies would always be happy, so I decided it was worth it.” – Melissa

Melissa was living on noodles, Weet-Bix, and bananas – all cheap and filling. Her stomach began to shrink so much she’d feel sick if she ate. In those tough years, Melissa would also try and make food last by hiding it where it was hard to access. She’d go to bed early, to avoid the burning hunger, or drink warm water to fill up.

Not having enough to eat made Melissa feel worthless. “I’d wake in the middle of the night, starving. I was so hungry all the time and I felt scummy. When I’d walk past a café and see people who could afford to eat there, I’d think to myself ‘they have it all’.” – Melissa

Last year, things felt grim. The hardship was the “worst of the worst”, Melissa recalls. But thanks to Foodbank supporters like you, the struggling mum received a knock on the door that changed everything. A food hamper was placed in her arms.

“It was overwhelming. I gave the man who delivered the hamper a card, to say thank you. I didn’t feel like I deserved this. In the hamper was everything to stock my pantry full. Things like flour, sugar, cereal, spaghetti, and tinned goods. The hamper was so well thought out. Thinking about it still makes me smile.” – Melissa

Melissa now receives food support more regularly. The support and nourishment Melissa receives thanks to generous people like you is helping her move on with her recovery, reclaim her voice and build a safe life. She still has a long healing journey ahead but was overjoyed recently to regain custody of two of her children, her twin boys. Melissa has also been busy handing out her resume in town. She is proud of how far she has come and can’t wait to get work. “I know what I used to be capable of. I’ve been told I can’t do it. But I’ve done it.” – Melissa

“After what I went through with my violent ex, I felt overwhelmed and distraught for a long time, thinking everyone is bad. But getting help to feed myself has made me realise good people are out there. Some of the nicest ones are strangers who support the work of Foodbank. It feels so good to be able to eat. Thank you!” – Melissa

Your generosity will help families like Melissa’s receive the essential groceries they need to get back on their feet.

Every $1 you donate will provide two nutritious meals to someone facing hunger, like Melissa. Thank you for making a difference.