When Rebecca Millar does her weekly grocery shopping, not only does she stock up on essentials for her family, but her neighbours too.
Since the end of last year, Ms Millar has been providing food boxes for her daughter's classmates, after she noticed many were going hungry.
Her home is now what she describes an "unofficial soup kitchen", providing weekly 'No Questions Asked' food boxes, period supplies, and home-cooked meals for seven families on a regular basis, as well as other community members periodically.
It all began as an extra lunchbox for her daughter to take to school for those who didn't have lunch.
"My daughter and some of her friends were going to school and trying to share their lunch boxes around with the class, and they were coming home really hungry, so I started sending extra stuff in," Ms Millar told SBS News.
"I'd send in an extra lunch box, bits and pieces so they had more to share around with those kids who weren't able to bring lunch."
The school used to run a breakfast club, but that came to an end in 2023.
As a result, Ms Millar says many children were going a full day without eating anything.
"This was when everything escalated," she said.
Due to her volunteer work, community engagement, and living on the school route, Ms Millar is well-known by many of her daughter's classmates and their parents.
More and more students began stopping by her house, so she put together extra snacks for the children to take home or to school the next day.
The boxes have now evolved to include meal bases such as noodles, macaroni and cheese, or soup for those who need food for dinner at home, along with fresh produce and batch-cooked homemade meals.
"I've got about seven kids who come regularly now and they'll share it around with their families or other children in the class," she said.
Ms Millar also keeps a box of period supplies in her bathroom, and encourages visitors to take what they or their family members might need, and refills the box when supplies run low.
Food inflation causing financial pressure
Ms Millar is determined to support her community as much as possible but inflation is affecting how much she can do.
Her latest grocery shop set her back $260 with half the boxes filled up.
"What I was hoping to last a week ... it's not even lasting half a week," she said.
"Everything has gone up."
Since food prices have been increasing, she says more children have started showing up, and she has begun accepting online donations to help fund her 'No Questions Asked' boxes.
"It is a lower socioeconomic area, and it's really difficult with shopping because a lot of those cheaper brands that people like me buy are out of stock," she said.
"In the last two or three months my grocery bill - without changing many things - has jumped by about $120."
'It feels like an endless fight'
Ms Millar was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis five years ago, which she says has created both challenges and motivation to help others in difficult situations.
She says many people in her community are living with disabilities and struggling to make ends meet.
"I think there is a misconception where people assume that if you have a disability, you automatically get support, but it's not like that at all," she said.
She knows people who have been unable to qualify for the disability support pension or the National Disability Insurance Scheme who've instead had to go on Jobseeker, which means they are required to meet mutual obligations in order to receive welfare payments.
"It feels like an endless fight," Ms Millar said.
"It isn't fair that they're forced into the situation they're in where they don't even have the basics; they can't turn on the heating in winter, they can't afford food, they definitely can't afford specialists."
