Fuel prices have risen. Interest rates have increased. Grocery bills are set to rise even further. Families are being squeezed from every direction, with fewer choices and very little breathing room.
Higher fuel costs are felt straight away. For people who rely on a car to get to work, take children to school or manage daily life, fuel is not a luxury. It is essential. As transport costs rise, so does the cost of moving food across the country. That pressure ends up at the supermarket checkout.
At the same time, every interest rate rise is pushing more households into mortgage stress. For some, it means hundreds of extra dollars in repayments each month. Renters are feeling it too, as higher costs are passed on through rent increases. Many people who were just getting by, are now having to make tough decisions about what they can do without.
Food prices are already stretched by inflation, and they are set to rise again. Everyday essentials like fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, milk and meat are becoming harder to afford. This is especially true for families with children, most notably single parents, older Australians on fixed incomes and people in insecure or casual work. When budgets reach breaking point, food is often the first thing to be cut. Meals are skipped. Portions get smaller. Nutrition suffers.
All of this is driving a sharp rise in food insecurity. We are seeing more working families coming through our doors, people who never imagined they would need help. Many are quietly juggling rent or mortgage repayments, fuel, utilities and food, trying to make it all stretch. Food insecurity is not just about hunger. It is about stress, uncertainty and the constant worry of not having enough.
Our clients tell us they are feeling the pinch more than ever. One client, Lisa, says she used to shop for groceries every fortnight. Now it is sometimes only once a month, because fuel costs make it harder to travel. Lisa regularly visits the Perth Foodbank branch, which has become her family’s main source of food. Without it, she says they simply would not cope.
“Without Foodbank, I would not survive,” Lisa says. She believes she could manage for only a few months without support before everything falls apart. With costs continuing to rise, stability feels further away. “Foodbank is more than food,” she says. “It is dignity, relief and hope when times are at their hardest.”
At a time when rising costs are affecting so many, support for people doing it toughest matters more than ever.
Make your tax deductable End of Financial Year donation to Foodbank WA.
Your support helps us provide nutritious food to individuals and families feeling the full impact of the cost-of-living crisis. Together, we can help ensure no one has to choose between paying their bills and putting food on the table.
By Foodbank WA
