A few days into Melbourne's fourth lockdown Anna Plum did a full audit of her kitchen to see if she had enough food to feed her family.
The thought of a week or two with no income filled her with "absolute fear" and "panic".
"We had to sit down with our bills and see if we could part pay here and part pay there."
Search for secure work fruitless
In early 2020 Ms Plum and her husband made the difficult decision to close their vintage store and start applying for jobs.
"Since the first lockdown no one has been interested in taking on full time staff," she said.
Her husband now has casual work in retail, but with the lockdown his income is gone and they still have two primary school aged kids to care for.
The family got through last year with the help of federal government payments and their savings, but this time around it seemed like there would be no safety net.
"My youngest wants to eat all the time… you don't want your kids to ever feel like you can't do everything for them."
In a state of "emotional crisis" Ms Plum took to Twitter.
Within hours she was inundated with offers of support.
Shocked and unsure what to do, Ms Plum called a few friends for advice.
"They told me I should accept help," she said.
"I've worked hard at everything that I have. I was embarrassed that I was now in a position, that I couldn't work out a way to solve this problem."
'People have done amazing things for me'
Late in the afternoon she set up a PayPal account. When she woke up the next morning she had enough money to cover two weeks rent, groceries and to pay some of their bills.
"I could pass them on the street and not know that that person changed my life this year."
While Ms Plum and her family now have enough to get through lockdown, she said there are thousands of others who still need help.
"If my story can encourage other people to put their hand up and say I'm not okay, that would be a great thing."
In the last week Foodbank Victoria said they have seen a "10 fold" increase in people looking for assistance.
"Our staff are working pretty much flat chat," Dave McNamara told ABC Radio Melbourne presenter Virginia Trioli.
"It is very distressing and, in some cases, feels overwhelming."
Yesterday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a temporary COVID disaster payment for workers impacted by the lockdown.
People over the age of 17 who usually work more than 20 hours a week will be eligible for a $500 payment, with $325 available for workers who do fewer hours.
Employees must have used up all of their leave entitlements and have less than $10,000 in liquid assets.
The Victorian Council of Social Services welcomed the support but said "the payment isn't perfect."
"The eligibility criteria is extremely narrow," said CEO Emma King.
"It doesn't help you if you're an underemployed casual, a migrant worker, an asylum seeker or an international student."
