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People are queueing for hours to receive fresh fruit and vegetables, others go days without food and children are kept home from school because their parents have nothing to put in their lunch box.
It's evocative of a war-torn nation or one in the grips of famine, but it's increasingly happening right here in Australia, an alarming new survey has revealed.
Australians' need for food relief has reached record new heights, and two-thirds of the charities tasked with providing it are being forced to turn hungry people away as they simply do not have sufficient food.
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The country's largest food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, yesterday released its annual survey of its network of 1500 charities across Australia and the results paint a dire picture of the toll that the cost of living crisis has had on the most vulnerable.
OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn said the results were shocking, but not surprising.
"We're delivering over half a million meals across the country every week, but it's just not enough," Kahn said.
"(The charities) say they're doing their best to feed everyone but are often faced with turning people away as they just don't have the food.
"The vast majority could take up to double to meet demand."
More and more families with two working parents are being forced to turn to charities for support.
"It's heartbreaking to think that it's easier for parents to keep kids home from school when they can't afford food for lunchboxes," Kahn said.
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West Australian mum Marika said she relies on a weekly delivery from OzHarvest to feed her two children.
"With the cost of living we're finding it very hard to have a constant supply of food in the house," she said.
"With kids with an ever-growing appetite, it's a constant battle."
In Brisbane, Community Friends West End's Jimmy said cash-strapped residents were lining up for two hours every week just to get fresh fruit and vegetables.
"People are desperate to eat, to be heard, to survive, to get by another day," he said.
Three-quarters of the charities surveyed have reported that demand for food has increased in the past 12 months, with almost a third (30 per cent) of those seeking help doing so for the first time.
At this time last year, amid rising food prices and repeated interest rate hikes, 47 per cent of charities reported that they couldn't meet the demand for their services.
That figure has now jumped to 67 per cent.
OzHarvest estimates at least 30,000 Australians are going without food every month, but there are likely thousands more who are not asking for help.
"There are times when you look at someone's face and realise they haven't eaten in a couple of days," Viele, a community worker in Melbourne, said.
"The moment you heat up a meal for them, their mood changes. They start asking questions."
