Last year Anglicare provided emergency relief to over 15,500 individuals across regional NSW and the ACT, distributing more than 40,000 essential items—from food and hygiene products to warm clothing and sleeping bags. This vital work was made possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters and valuable Commonwealth Government funding.

However, the most recent round of government emergency relief grants was massively oversubscribed, leaving many regional and rural organisations—including Anglicare— without funding. Despite this setback, the need in our communities has only grown more urgent.

While Anglicare was not among those selected for funding this time, what’s become even more clear is the depth of demand in our communities — and the urgency with which people are seeking support. 

Every day, more people are reaching out for help. They’re not just in need of food or blankets—they’re asking for dignity, connection and hope. And while government support is important, it’s clear that no single entity can meet this scale of need alone.

That’s why Anglicare is not stepping back. We’re stepping up.  

As the charitable arm of the Anglican Church, Anglicare is committed to continuing to support our community through our emergency relief services—with or without government funding. We are actively seeking new sources of support to ensure no one is left behind. 

With the strength of our community — and the ongoing support of our donors and partners — Anglicare will continue to respond with compassion, urgency, and an unshakable commitment to those in need. 

Here are just three of the thousands of reasons we won’t stop now:

• Rose, a mother of four and soon-to-be grandmother, visits Anglicare’s Ashmont Community Resource Centre once a week for emergency food relief. She struggles with anxiety and is unable to work. After years of building relationships with staff and others at the centre, Rose’s visits are now more about connection than they are about food. She recently made the significant step of joining the centre’s arts and crafts group—deepening her community involvement in a way she once thought impossible.As a way of saying thanks, Rose brings a box of oranges to the centre each month, collected by her father who works at the orchards near Griffith. The fruit is distributed to other community members in need.
• The Likolo* family, newly arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo, faced their first Canberra winter with uncertainty and fear. At Anglicare’s Gordon Community Centre, which is run in partnership with Lanyon Valley Anglican Church, they were welcomed with warmth, food and kindness. Volunteers even took the time to look up words of greeting in their language and invited them to bring their children to the centre’s weekly playgroup.For the Likolos, the centre will be a lifeline while they learn to make their way in a new country.
• Rachel* and her teenage son Justin* spent six months living in a tent in Moruya’s North Head campground. On their toughest days, they relied on the food and blankets they received from Anglicare’s Emergency Relief Hub to survive. Now housed and back at work, Rachel volunteers at the Hub when she can—giving back to the service that once supported her.Without the assistance she received from Anglicare, Rachel’s transformation may not have been possible, and she is not alone.

Every donation, every conversation, and every act of support helps someone in crisis.

Please consider giving to Anglicare’s Emergency Relief Appeal today. Your donation will have more impact than ever and will help the hundreds of families that seek our support each week.