Food insecurity is growing in the Illawarra as residents contend with rising costs of living, leaving little money to put food on the table.
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The non-profit Food for Life provides reduced-price grocery hampers to people across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, and founder Murray Harris is seeing an increasing number of people seeking its services.
"The cost of living is just killing people at the moment," Mr Harris said.
He said energy costs were putting major pressure on Illawarra residents.
"We had one lady... and she said, 'I've just been discussing with my husband, should we sell our house to be able to pay our bills'," Mr Harris said.
People are sacrificing their own basic needs to provide food for their family.
"Parents are [going without food] for the sake of their kids," he said.
Mr Harris and wife Julie had a similar charity in Sydney before starting up in the Illawarra in 2019, and Mr Harris said demand usually dropped 30 to 40 per cent around Christmastime - but not in 2022, for the first time in 10 years.
Increasingly they are seeing people who have never needed to ask for help before.
"Twenty-five years ago, it was a distinct group that would come for help... Now, it's everyone," Mr Harris, a former pastor, said.
Similarly Karen McIntyre, support coordinator at Bulli Community Centre, has seen more people using the Food Pantry service.
Each Thursday morning between 50 and 60 people show up to collect food, and in the past fortnight 13 new people have enrolled.
Mrs McIntyre said about 26 per cent of clients were single parents, a cohort that grew during school holidays as parents found it difficult to juggle caring for their children with work.
Rising utility bills were a major contributing factor to the growing number of people needing help, she said, as well as "astronomical" rental costs.
Mrs McIntyre said one woman with children reported she had just $78 to live on a fortnight after she paid her rent and for many, up to 90 per cent of their income was going towards rent and utilities.
There was also a shortage of food assistance services, she said.
Both Mr Harris and Mrs McIntyre spoke of an increasing group of people they called the 'working poor': people earning an income who still cannot keep up with the cost of living.
While Mrs McIntyre said these people were not making use of the Food Pantry so much, they were increasingly taking on no-interest loans to make ends meet.
Bulli Community Centre accepts non-perishable food donations at 328 Princes Highway, Bulli between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Thursday. Visit www.foodforlife.cc for information on Food for Life.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
