You would be forgiven for thinking Christmas is the busiest time of year for food relief charities.
But for many of Australia's largest providers, it is actually the lead up to Easter, when many small community services close for the long weekend, and there are fewer people donating goods and cash.
And with ever rising grocery costs, the queues for free and discounted food are growing longer around the country, as one in three Australan families are struggling to put food on the table.
"Hunger doesn't discriminate, and hunger also doesn't go away for the holidays. And what we tend to see in the lead up to long weekends, school holidays, university breaks, is a really dramatic spike in demand for food relief as people try to prepare for a period where they're not going to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables and to really important, culturally appropriate, healthy, nutritious food."
Thats's Brianna Casey, the Chief Executive Officer of Foodbank, for many of the charity's outlets, the day before Good Friday was their busiest in 2023.
Foodbank Western Australia experienced a massive influx, as for the first time in its history more than 1,000 households accessed its services in a single day on April 7th last year.
In Victoria, they are also anticpating record numbers, from 57,000 people at the end of last year, up to 65,000 currently.
The Northern Territory and South Australia are also seeing record numbers.
And Ms Casey says more demand is putting the pressure on for Foodbanks across the nation.
"What we're seeing across multiple states and territories at the moment is a very significant increase in demand for food relief, meaning that we are having to handle a lot more food than we typically would on a normal day. For some food banks, they absolutely need more volunteers coming through to assist with this task."
Lucy Coward is the Chief Operating Officer of Second Bite, Australia's largest food rescue organisation.
"I think holidays are a really happy time for many people, but holidays are a really challenging time for some. So I think it's just keep an ear out and a heart out for those that are not doing well. And also, when you go and see people in your family and your friend groups over this time, just keep an ear out. You never know who might be struggling."
She says the organisation has plenty of food from farmers and suppliers, but cash donations are sparse in the days before Easter.
"From a financial standpoint, there's definitely a level of weariness within the community in general. Everybody's struggling to just deal with things at the moment, so giving another dollar here or there can often push them a bit beyond what they can offer"
Ms Coward says food insecurity appears to be getting worse, with an increase in demand for Second Bite's services.
Last year one in five families were struggling to consistently put food on the table... now It's one in three
"It's a really big increase. That's somebody you know... that's someone in your kids' school group, that's someone at your family table. Everybody knows somebody even if it's not out in the public. So I think yes, in general, every agency that helps people is struggling to keep up with demand at the moment"
Charities like Foodbank and Second Bite can only do so much to address cost of living pressures.
The Australian Council of Social Services, ACOSS, says Australians are being forced to make tough decisions between eating, buying medicine and paying bills.
The advocacy body would particularly like to see Job seeker payments increase from 54 dollars per day, to 78 dollars.
Foodbank is also lobbying policy makers to increase financial and social support for families.
"We have made a very strong case to the federal government for increased support for food relief organizations, emergency relief organizations, and financial counseling. But we also need to make sure that things like job seeker and related payments are increased so that people are in stronger economic positions as we face these multitude of challenges, which now includes yet another cyclone coming at us in Northern Territory. "
And there is a simple call to action from Lucy Coward.
"For those of us who are in a good space, it's really important to remember that others aren't. And whether it's Easter or Ramadan or any other religious holiday or family holiday, just remember those that aren't always in a good place and donate accordingly"
