Zoe Moffatt
If you are part of any community Facebook page it is likely you have seen posts asking for donations of food and essential items.
With cost-of-living pressures continuing to rise, residents have been turning to these online communities to help fill the gaps left from social services and restricted-hour charity availability.
Neighbourhood houses and foodbanks across Sunbury and Macedon Ranges offer much needed relief for locals. Goonawarra Neighbourhood House manager Isabella Rosinsky said she has noticed the increase in demand.
“We get at least one new call a week,” she said. “We’ve seen [people asking for help] on Facebook, people have been referred to us and people have seen our flyer.
“Usually it’s about food … We supply food parcels and we also get knitted items from [the charity] Kogo, like blankets and scarves.
“It’s quite a big demographic [of people who reach out], we get people who are encountering a challenging time, there’s a lot of people not on any Centrelink benefits who are doing it tough.
“We get people who are temporarily out of work, single parents or even families with both parents working.”
According to a national Foodbank hunger report from last year, 3.7 million households in Australia experienced moderate- to severe-level food insecurity in the 12 months to September, 2023.
The report found cost-of-living was the most common reason for food insecurity in 2023, with the majority of food insecure households mentioned increased grocery, energy and housing costs as the key reasons why they struggled.
Ms Rosinsky urged anyone struggling to reach out and said the current circumstances are affecting everyone.
“A lot of people we meet are really embarrassed, almost ashamed they are in these circumstances, they are reluctant to come and are often quite apologetic,” she said.
“[My message to people is] don’t hesitate, the current economic climate is putting a strain on everyone, if you’re struggling, come along.”
Details: www.facebook.com/goonawarranh
