Annette Formosa never thought she would need to rely on her local community in Sydney's western suburbs to ensure there was enough food on the table.
But now, she can't think of a world where that help doesn't exist.
"We'll starve. There will be no food," Ms Formosa told the ABC.
The cost of living crisis being experienced by many Australians isn't lost on Ms Formosa: it's her life every day.
She lost her job in hospitality last year due to Sydney's COVID-19 Delta outbreak.
She feels like everything has gotten that bit more expensive, and budgeting a weekly shop with only $50 isn't enough for her, let alone her teenage daughter, Hannah.
When Ms Formosa does her shop, it's the "cheapest type of food" she's buying. It means there's no protein, fruit or vegetables on the menu — just a lot of pasta.
Steaks that used to cost $5 now cost $10 and even chicken breasts are now "out of the question".
"When you've got $50 to do the week's shopping, that $10, you just can't do it," she said.
"The $10 can buy a meal or something else."
Foodbank's Hunger Report 2021 found one in six adults in Australia were experiencing food insecurity, meaning not having access to enough food. Almost 40 per cent of them had never experienced food insecurity prior to the pandemic.
Ms Formosa has been relying on the Dundas Area Neighbourhood Centre in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Telopea for more than a year. Before that, she'd never needed food relief services.
Kathryn Hammond, the centre manager at the neighbourhood house, said food relief had become an essential part of their service.
"So many people, with the rising costs of living, just need that little bit of extra help to get through the weeks," Ms Hammond told the ABC.
The cost of living pressures are not helped by the loss of their local supermarket, which Ms Formosa describes as the "worst thing" that could have happened.
The local IGA in Telopea closed in June 2021 due to a commercial decision made by the previous owner, meaning even a trip to grab basic essentials like bread, milk or eggs involves an hour on the bus.
"It's a big inconvenience. Thank God we've got the community centre," Ms Formosa said.
Expert says first thing people spend less on is food
When the cost of living goes up, food is the one commodity people often spend less on, said Christina Pollard, a specialist in public health priorities at Curtin University.
"People have to pay their rent, they have to get to work. There's these expenses that are fixed," Dr Pollard told the ABC.
"So they choose to go without food, and access food relief."
Dr Pollard said the working poor, those experiencing insecure work and people over-extended by mortgage repayments, were more likely to face food insecurity.
"It's stigmatising. So quite often a problem like [food insecurity] is not measured well, it's not reported, and it's hidden," she said.
But what are the solutions? Dr Pollard says one thing that isn't helpful is more food relief services.
"We don't want to end up like Canada, where there are more food banks than there are supermarkets," she said.
"We're not addressing the cause of the issue."
Instead, Dr Pollard believes there needs to be an increase in the minimum wage, more secure employment, adequate welfare payments and, most importantly, government monitoring of food affordability.
"Monitoring the cost of food is a really good way to assess the policy impact," she said.
"If food is too expensive, and I mean nutritious good food, then people will become food insecure."
The latest rise in the cost of living means inflation has grown by 5.1 per cent in the past year — the largest annual increase in consumer prices since June 2001.
Last year, the cost of non-discretionary items such as food, fuel and rent went up by 4.5 per cent, but in that same time, wages only went up by 2.3 per cent.
Hundreds of families in Melbourne's north-west need food relief
Imad Abulughud has been travelling to his local community centre in the north-west Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows every week for the last few months to supplement his weekly shop.
Mr Abulughud's been in Australia for two decades after fleeing conflict in Gaza as a refugee. But this is the first time since arriving here that Mr Abulughud has had to grapple with the fear of not having enough to eat.
"It's very hard to find a job, hard to find food for yourself," he said. "Everything is coming higher now."
Mr Abulughud has been out of work since his car broke down some months ago.
His work required regular car trips across Melbourne. With no means to pay for his car repairs, he couldn't physically get to his workplace.
His health has suffered as he has cut corners to cope with the loss of his wages.
His type 2 diabetes means he requires a diet with an appropriate level of healthy and nutritious food.
His trip to the local supermarket isn't lavish — it's about survival.
"I look for the necessary [items] to make me alive," he said.
"[I'm a] diabetic. We need to eat because my diabetes is coming up, down. If I don't eat, maybe stay at home, maybe die."
Mr Abulughud glows when he talks about the help he's had from his local community centre, Banksia Gardens Community Services.
The centre has been supporting up to 300 families each week with its food relief services.
While chief executive Gina Dougall feels proud to provide some ease for people like Mr Abulughud, it's not all rosy.
"It also horrifies me at the level of need," she told the ABC.
For now, Mr Abulughud will continue to walk from his flat to his community centre. He has a simple message to politicians ahead of the election.
"I'm an Australian citizen … if they don't look [out] for me, I don't vote for them," he said.
Politicians have 'no idea' what my life is like, Formosa says
Ms Formosa describes a sense of hurt over not being able to give her daughter Hannah what she wants.
It's why she thinks politicians have "no idea" what she's going through.
"They talk the talk but they don't know what it's like not to be able to give your child something they want," she said.
"Spend a day how we live. They couldn't."
