Sometimes Christmas doesn’t go to plan…

“Thank you doesn’t feel like a big enough word.”

When Natalie said those words, she wasn’t talking about a Christmas present or a gift under the tree.

She was talking about the relief of knowing there was food in the fridge. The dignity of being able to provide for her children after life had taken an unexpected and devastating turn.

Just a few years ago, Natalie never imagined she would need help putting food on the table. She had moved to Perth with her children full of hope for a fresh start, ready to build a life with someone she had known and trusted for more than a decade. Instead of the future she had planned, she found herself isolated from family and friends and trapped in a relationship that became controlling and abusive. What happened next was something she never saw coming.

Natalie remembers how quickly life changed, “I had no family here. I only knew people from work. I had nowhere to go.”

When Natalie finally reached breaking point and contacted Australia’s national domestic violence support line, the response stopped her in her tracks. “When the lady on the phone told me, ‘You are in a domestic violence situation,’ my heart stopped. My heart sunk“, she says.

Her former partner removed her access to their shared finances and left her to support herself and her children with only $500. Suddenly, a hardworking mother who had always supported herself was facing a reality she never imagined.

“I had no control. Not even over my own finances.”

Every week became a struggle to make the numbers add up. Rent still had to be paid. School expenses kept arriving and after covering the essentials, there was very little left for food. Natalie made impossible choices each week so her children would not have to go without.

“There were times when there wasn’t enough chicken for all of us. I’d tell the kids, ‘I’m not hungry,’ so they could eat it instead”, she says.

The emotional toll was overwhelming. “When you have other people depending on you, it feels heavy. It feels really heavy.” Natalie had never imagined she would need support from Foodbank WA. In fact, she almost didn’t reach out at all.

“I don’t look like someone who needs help, but I needed help.”

Like many of the people we meet, Natalie never expected to need assistance. When Natalie completed her first shop with us, she sat in her car and cried. Not because she was upset, but because for the first time in months, she felt like she could breathe. The groceries she purchased came to just $58 and the savings meant she could finally pay for her daughter’s school choir program.

“I sat in my car and cried. Then I went home and paid for the choir tickets.”

What Natalie found that day was much more than affordable groceries.

She found relief, dignity and hope. She was able to shield her children from the heartbreak of missing out.

Most importantly, she found reassurance that food would be there when her family needed it.

As Christmas approaches, many Western Australian families are facing the same fears Natalie once lived with every day.

They are wondering how they will pay the bills, keep food on the table and make ends meet. Through the support of our community, we can continue to provide food, dignity and hope for people when they need it most.

When asked what she would say to someone thinking about supporting Foodbank WA, Natalie’s answer was immediate, “Do it. If not for the adults, do it for the children. Food is a basic human right.”