Poverty, Charity, and Hunger Among Families With Children—An Australian Example

ABSTRACT In Australia, poverty, hunger, and food insecurity are a reality for many households, but much of the research considers the adult population of households, rarely considering the specific experiences of households with dependent children. The limited research exploring the experiences of families means that the main response to food insecurity and hunger in Australia, emergency and community food assistance, may be insufficient to alleviate hunger and manage the cost of living pressures specifically for families with dependent children. The aim of this research is to investigate the lived experience of food insecurity for families (those with children aged under 18) who access emergency and community food assistance and to explore the ways that they manage their household food needs. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted from June 2018 to January 2019 and included 24 parents with children under 18 who access food assistance in the state of Victoria, Australia. Results of this study indicate that families are relying on a range of formal and informal services to meet family food needs, with parents actively seeking to protect their children against the negative impacts of poverty, hunger, and food insecurity, often at their own expense.