Food relief services help families through hardship

Like many Western Australians facing the relentless pressures of rising rents, soaring grocery prices and increasing household bills, Alicia’s family found themselves caught in a situation they never expected. 

For the past two years, she has relied on Foodbank WA on and off, with the last six months becoming increasingly difficult. After losing her job in February, the family was left surviving on a single income from her husband, who was receiving workers’ compensation payments following an injury. 

          “It was only just enough to keep a roof over our head,” Alicia says. 

As living costs continued to climb, every week became an exercise in impossible choices. 

          “We had fallen behind in so many bills that it became, do we go without power or food? We were constantly having to make choices on what we went without for the week.”

For many families experiencing hardship, the struggle is not always visible.

Behind closed doors, parents quietly skip meals, delay payments and carry the overwhelming burden of trying to protect their children from the reality of financial hardship. 

Eventually, Alicia reached a breaking point. 

          “I had literally $2 in my account with nothing in the pantry or fridge.” 

Then came the moment every parent fears. 

          “My youngest had come and said he was hungry.”

Overwhelmed and out of options, Alicia went to her bedroom and cried. 

          “At this point, I was drowning in power bills, water bills and stress. I had $2 to my name and didn’t know what to do.” 

Desperate for a solution, she searched online for food relief services in Perth and found an emergency assistance number. 

What happened next is something many people facing hardship will recognise. 

          “I remember dialling the number, letting it ring twice, then hanging up because I couldn’t do it.” 

Alicia had always been the person helping others. Her family were the kind of people who made sure everyone around them was looked after. Reaching out for help felt confronting, unfamiliar and deeply emotional. 

But then reality set in. 

          “There were hungry children to feed.” 

She picked up the phone again. 

On the other end was a compassionate person who listened without judgement, organised a referral to Foodbank WA and provided a $50 emergency food voucher. 

“It was such a relief. I could go down that day and get food.” 

That simple act of support came at a moment when Alicia needed it most. 

Today, she visits Foodbank WA approximately once a fortnight, purchasing affordable essentials including fresh fruit, pantry staples, bread and meat. 

While the groceries themselves are important, what they represent means even more.

“When I bring the shopping home, it’s relief,” Alicia says. “Being able to know I can put food in my family’s belly for the next week just feels great. It’s a weight off my shoulders knowing we can eat.” 

Alicia’s story is a powerful reminder that hunger can affect anyone. 

It doesn’t discriminate. It affects families who work hard, people recovering from illness or injury, people looking for work and people who never imagined they would one day need support. 

Perhaps most importantly, her story reminds us that the hardest step is often asking for help. 

Every day, Foodbank WA meets people at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. For families like Alicia’s, access to affordable food provides more than nourishment. It provides dignity. It provides hope. And it provides the reassurance that, even in the toughest of times, they do not have to face hardship alone. 

When Alicia’s youngest child said he was hungry, she had nowhere left to turn. 

Because of Foodbank WA and the generosity of supporters, she didn’t have to face that moment alone. 

And for one family, that meant the difference between an empty pantry and a meal on the table.

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Published on 8 October 2026.