She has not slept the past two nights, her anxiety building as she must decide whether to put their home at risk to enjoy lunch on Christmas Day.

“This is the first year in my girls’ lives we might have nothing for Christmas,” she said. 

Ms Weber is one of hundreds in the region who are facing this struggle at Christmas.

A free pop-up farmers market in Wendouree on Monday helped provide welcome relief at this stressful time of year. 

More than 280 families collected bags of fresh food and a hamper of essential items from the Foodbank Farms to Families market. 

It was the third food relief event held for clients of Ballarat charities this year and attracted the more people than previous markets. 

The Courier first met Ms Weber at the Farms to Families market in November where she told of the health impacts of not being able to afford to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. 

READ MORE Foodbank Farms to Families market provides welcome relief to struggling families

Ms Weber is a single mother, and was forced to stop work around one year ago due to a heart condition and mental health issues. 

Through a Newstart Allowance and family support payments, the family receives around $610 each week – of which $380 goes to rent. 

They are left with $165 a fortnight for food, medical, petrol and high school payments after rent and utility bills are taken out.

Since she last spoke to The Courier in November, Ms Weber said the stress of not having anything at Christmas had increased her blood pressure and created further health risks. 

“I am trying to take one step at a time but we have Christmas anxiety to get over then we have got to worry about the cost of going back to high school,” she said.

“Now that my health is getting worse I don’t think there is any chance for me going back to work for a little while. The doctors aren’t allowing me to work, I would put my health at more risk.”

The Foodbank Farms to Families market was originally scheduled for Thursday last week, but was postponed due to the wet and stormy weather. 

Ms Weber said her and her daughters hardly ate at the weekend as they had budgeted to receive food at the market on Thursday. 

“The $16 I had left I had to keep to put in petrol to come to Ballarat today (Monday). But we will be able to eat now. It’s a big help. We even picked up some pads. I know for some people it is an everyday item but for us it is something that doesn’t fit in our budget,” she said. 

“The Newstart Allowance has to go up and if they paid a little bit more rent assistance that would free up more money. I’m on a 10 year waiting list for public housing. Something has to give.

“It is a vicious cycle. If I had more money I could have better health and get back to work. Without Foodbank we would be lost.”

The line of hundreds of people queuing for food relief snaked around the car park of the Seventh Day Adventist Good Samaritan Centre and out onto the street. 

People of all ages, gender and backgrounds carried reusable shopping bags ready to fill with fresh produce. A middle aged man pushed a pram as he collected tomatoes, corn, nectarines, pumpkin, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, milk, apples, avocados and mushrooms from the market-style stalls. 

Hampers filled with essential pantry items were a Christmas bonus at Monday’s market. 

More than 2000 hampers will be spread throughout Victoria with a regional focus following the release of the Foodbank Hunger Report. 

The report released in October revealed people living in regional and remote areas were 33 per cent more likely to experience food insecurity than those living in major cities.

Dates are set for the Foodbank Farms to Families market to run in Ballarat in February and March next year. 

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