Skylee Taylor never imagined she would need charity to help feed her family.
“I was barely managing to keep everyone fed,” the 24-year-old said.
“I probably would have ended up hospitalized from malnutrition, prioritizing the kids over myself.”
“It’s frightening to think about.”
Pregnant and raising a toddler, the single mother from Canberra was also looking after her two teenage sisters.
With more mouths to feed, costs rose, and last year she began accepting help from local food pantries.
“Reaching out for help was difficult,” Ms. Taylor said.
“I felt like a failure as a mum and sister for not managing alone.
But the support I received made me realize it was okay to seek help, especially with how expensive everything has become.”
A New Face of Poverty
Like many Australians, Ms. Taylor is struggling with the rising cost of living.
A survey of frontline charities by food rescue group OzHarvest found that 77% reported an increase in people seeking food aid over the past year.
OzHarvest estimates that 50,000 people are turned away each month because the demand exceeds available resources.
In Canberra, the percentage of first-time food support seekers was 37%—the highest nationally.
Christine Scott from OzHarvest Canberra said the profile of those needing assistance has changed.
“It’s families, homeowners, people with dual incomes,” she said.
“In Canberra, where there’s generally more affluence, we often overlook those quietly struggling.”
To address this growing “food crisis,” OzHarvest is advocating for a dedicated Minister for Food and consistent funding for food rescue and relief efforts.
A Widespread Issue
Across the border in Queanbeyan, lines form weekly at St Benedict’s Community Centre for donated groceries and hot meals served four days a week.
“In the past 18 months, with both the housing and cost-of-living crises, we’ve seen a new wave of people seeking help,” said coordinator Elaine Lollback.
“Now, even those with stable jobs and moderate incomes are coming to us.”
Ms. Lollback noted that people travel from Canberra, Yass, Braidwood, and Goulburn to access their services.
“Poverty doesn’t respect state lines,” she said.
The Not-So-Lucky Country
Cheryl O’Donnell, CEO of Canberra PCYC, witnesses the toll of food insecurity on young people daily.
“You can see the kids are malnourished — they’re not alert or healthy-looking,” she said.
“But once they eat, they transform into entirely different young people.”
The organization receives frozen meals and fresh produce from sources like OzHarvest, but supplies are quickly depleted.
“Families are having to choose between paying rent, keeping the lights on, or putting food on the table,” Ms. O’Donnell said.
“Parents often skip meals so their children can eat — it’s heartbreaking.
And for a country known as ‘the lucky country,’ it doesn’t feel that way for many families.”
