When Libby and her 4-year-old son arrived at Anglicare’s Gordon Community Centre on a Friday morning, they were relieved to receive a bag of food to get them through the next week. But the centre had just run out of laundry detergent — so their washing would have to wait.

Meanwhile, in Queanbeyan, Anglicare’s Emergency Relief team had plenty of detergent, but no pasta sauce for Roger, who was preparing dinner on a hotplate in his temporary accommodation.

These stories reveal a constant challenge in delivering Emergency Relief: logistics. It’s impossible to predict which items will be in high demand, or where, on any given week.

With half of renting households in NSW and the ACT experiencing food insecurity (FoodBank Hunger Report 2025), families are prioritising rent and utilities, leaving gaps in their ability to afford food, hygiene products, and household essentials like dish soap and detergent.

That’s where Anglicare steps in — to fill those gaps and provide hope when it’s needed most.

But doing this work week to week without knowing what supplies we’ll have — or if anything will be donated at all — makes it incredibly hard. It’s a logistics nightmare.

That’s why direct financial gifts are so powerful. They cut through the uncertainty and allow us to act immediately — getting exactly what’s needed, when and where it’s needed. This support doesn’t just solve a logistics problem; it restores choice and dignity for the people of Canberra who turn to us for help.

While we deeply appreciate donations of food and essentials, monetary gifts give Anglicare the flexibility to respond quickly and effectively — whether it’s detergent for Libby or pasta sauce for Roger — without the added cost of transporting goods between centres or renting storage units.

Simply put, dollars go further. They’re more efficient, more adaptable, and more impactful.

As we enter the Christmas season, when demand is at its peak, will you help Anglicare meet the need?

A dollar donated today provides exactly what is needed tomorrow.

Thank you for standing with us — and with the local families who rely on Anglicare’s Emergency Relief services.

Anglicare NSW South, NSW West & ACT

8/221 London Circuit, Canberra

• T: 6245 7100
• E: [email protected]
• W: anglicare.com.au