Peter’s story

Published

October 30, 2018

Peter’s story

Peter* has one goal in life – to see his daughter achieve her dreams.

But as a single father relying on a pension as his only source of income, Peter has struggled to make ends meet.

Shortly after Ally* was born, Peter separated from the mother of his child. This led to a long custody battle.

“It was a long, drawn out process that took every cent I had,” Peter said.

“I had no food in the house at the time, as all my money was spent on court fees. But I wasn’t giving up. I was on a mission to get custody of my little girl.”

“When Ally was born, I promised I would do whatever I could to protect her, and I wasn’t going to break that promise.”

Six years ago, Peter was awarded full custody of Ally.

The doting father struggled to make ends meet until reaching out to Uniting for support.

“To not be able to put food on the table was absolutely soul shattering,” he said.

“I used to get embarrassed about asking for help. But now I know it’s acceptable.”

“The team at Uniting are fantastic. I know I have somewhere to turn. I don’t have to drive myself crazy with worry about how I’m going to put a meal on the table,” he added.

Ally, a talented performer, was recently awarded a scholarship to a prestigious Melbourne school.

Peter says the support from Uniting has helped his daughter to thrive.

“I know my daughter is going to be a positive force for change in the future, so I want to give her every chance to achieve her potential and reach her goals,” he said.

“The first step in achieving that is putting a roof over her head and a meal on the table each night.”

Peter is eternally grateful to those who donate food to Uniting services.

“The people who donate food and other essential living items should know how appreciated their generosity is,” he said.

“This journey has been hard, but it has been good for me. It has made me a better person and above all else, a better father.”

Peter is now looking to start a single father’s group for men raising their children alone to support one another.

*Names changed

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