Single mother Tara Weldon, who works a well-paying job four days a week, finds it challenging to provide enough food for her two children. She spends at least $250 weekly on groceries, a cost that has nearly doubled in recent years. "That would normally be someone's fortnightly shopping back a good six years ago, and now it's like, it's pretty much doubled," Weldon said. To help manage her grocery expenses, Weldon collects a free bag of fruits and vegetables from the food relief charity OzHarvest at the Redfern Community Centre each week. These bags typically include fresh produce and sometimes contain meat, eggs, and pastries. "For some reason on Mondays, I'm always in need, or a bit short, or haven't done the groceries," she explained. "If I didn't have that pick-up … I don't know what I'd be going home to feed my children with, like, they'd be having Weet-Bix, or probably two-minute noodles instead of nutritional food. It goes a long way." Dominica Siu, a mother of three, also occasionally relies on the food bags from the community center. She spends about $300 weekly on groceries and feels the impact of rising living costs. "It's tough with three kids, expenses and school expenses," Siu said. "If I haven't done my shopping, it [the OzHarvest pack] will last for my lunches, and midweek I've got enough food for school lunches and breakfasts. It assists with what I can currently afford and support." OzHarvest not only provides grocery bags but also operates a monthly food truck that serves free lunches outside the community center. Tracey Duncan, who manages Aboriginal city spaces with the City of Sydney, noted that 20 to 40 people come to collect grocery bags each week, and they are often gone by the end of the day. Duncan highlighted that many community members are cutting back on essentials, particularly meat, due to rising prices. "The cost of living is absolutely crazy," she said. "People are cutting back on the essentials, and meat is probably one of the first things that they cross off. What people are saying is that it's [OzHarvest grocery bags] really helping them make it to the next payday." Earlier this year, OzHarvest also conducted a cooking class at the community center, teaching adults how to prepare healthy meals on a budget. Duncan emphasized the importance of these skills for the community's nutritional knowledge. Despite recent cuts to interest rates by the Reserve Bank, food prices continue to rise. National data shows that the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 3 percent in the 13 months leading up to July 2025. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 4.8 percent rise in the price of fruits and vegetables during the same period. The increasing cost of living has driven many families to seek assistance from food charities. An OzHarvest survey revealed that families and single parents are among the largest groups requesting food relief. The survey, which included about 870 charities, found that a third of those seeking help were doing so for the first time. "They have employment, but their salaries are just not covering the costs," said OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn. "By the time they pay rent, by the time they pay fuel, by the time they pay health, by the time they pay education, the cost of living is too high for their wages. Every charity is telling us that there's an uplift of both that demographic of single parents, but working families who are not making ends meet with the current crisis." A recent report by Foodbank corroborated these findings, indicating that over 1 million households are experiencing food insecurity, with single-parent families being disproportionately affected. OzHarvest is partnering with ABC Gives to raise awareness about the hunger and food waste crisis in Australia.