THE OTHER CHRISTMAS RUSH
THE REGION’S Lifeline office took its first call for Christmas help in June, with its CEO predicting more than 800 families will rely on the organisation - up from 675 last year.
Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland CEO Derek Tuffield attributed the demand to the rising cost of living.
About 300 of the 800 families will receive assistance through the Metro Care Loads of Love Appeal. Others will receive grocery vouchers and help with emergency accommodation through Lifeline’s Russell St office.
Mr Tuffield said the call for Christmas assistance in June “took them by surprise”.
“When we asked the lady why she rang so early she said ‘look I missed out last year and I don’t want to miss out this year,’ ” he said.
“So she rang in September, still too early, but on November 1 we started taking appointments and we filled up the 250 initial appointments in nine days.”
The phones are still ringing hot with the office averaging about 40 calls per day. That number is only expected to increase by the end of the week.
“I think it is really important to stress the phones are still ringing so we are going to try and get as many through as we can,” he said.
“This week we reassess every day because if I can increase the number then we take more families and we drop the stress levels down.”
More than 600 bags of food from the Loads of Love Appeal are expected to be given to needy families by tomorrow from Lifeline’s Stephen St distribution centre.
“Financial stress is probably your number-one pressure they are feeling all year round, it’s not just Christmas,” Mr Tuffield said.
“But we have noticed at Lifeline the number-one demand for us all year first has been food. I think that is basically because the cost of food has been creeping along the way. The cost of utilities has been creeping up as well.
“Then number two is probably emergency accommodation.”
So far, 12,035kg of non-perishable items have been collected and people can still donate until tomorrow at collection points across the city, including Heritage Bank and Grand Central.
Go to metrocare.org.au /loads-of-love/.