Charities in Mid West feel surge in demand as families struggle to put food on the table this Christmas

Local charity organisations have been inundated with people seeking financial assistance this Christmas, as about 10 per cent of the Mid West population will struggle to put food on the table this festive season. Charities across Geraldton are facing a surge in the demand for financial relief as cost-of-living pressures leave families no choice but to ask for a helping hand. So far this December, Centacare Family Services have seen just short of a staggering 40 per cent increase in requests for food assistance from people doing it tough. As at Friday, 143 people have already expressed interest in attending the free Christmas Day Lunch, with Centacare expecting to help 30 per cent more people in need compared to previous years. CEO David Power said there was always a noticeable increase in December, but this year was a record high. “We anticipate supporting between 150 and 200 community members with a meal at our free Christmas Day lunch,” he said. “We also anticipate distributing around 150 gifts for children who would not otherwise receive anything.” Regional Alliance West estimated 10 per cent of people in Geraldton will be struggling to put food on the table this Christmas. Operations manager Chris Gabelish said RAW has been inundated with people experiencing financial hardship, with a surge in the “working poor” seeking assistance. “We are continuing to finalise as many client issues as possible by year’s end. The lack of availability of housing remains our biggest issue, as well as stretching our emergency relief funds as much as possible for those in need,” he said. To help this Christmas, RAW are handing out 60 Christmas hampers that have already been allocated to people in the community. Mission Australia have experienced a 26 per cent increase in demand for services over the last three years and have had to reduce emergency food relief portion sizes to meet demand. Roughly, demand has doubled in the last couple months, according to program manager for Geraldton Tara Rangi. She said it was evident that an increasing number of people were struggling. “We are working to ensure that individuals in need of assistance receive it, as well as to build community ties and supply basic services,” she said. The Foodbank Hunger Report 2023 published in October highlighted that 35 per cent of Western Australian households were experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity — either reducing quality or quantity of food or skipping meals all together. This year, Foodbank provided assistance to more than 26,000 households, an increase of 24 per cent compared to last year. More than 160 people visit the Geraldton store on a busy day, serving about 25 new customers per week for the last six months. A busy day will see 160-170 people come through the door. Foodbank Geraldton manager Jamie O’Brien said it was the busiest year in history and predicted that wasn’t going to change any time in the near future. “This is the busiest year of all and the reasons for that aren’t going to change, people are struggling to pay rent, they can’t put fuel in the car and are dealing with rising mortgage interest rates,” he said.