"Knowing that you can't feed your kids on weeks that all the bills are due is very, very heartbreaking and that's where the foodbank came in," she said.
"It really took a lot of stress off. They supplied the food for the kids to eat, which really made a difference. That got us through the weeks that we were really struggling."
The Ohauiti resident wasn't receiving any financial help for looking after the two extra children, and she fell behind. Bills started to accumulate.
Even after her two nephews left six months later, she was still treading water, still trying to catch up.
"We were in a real tough position. My four children were missing out on a lot of stuff."
The foodbank provided her family with a food parcel every second week for about a year, and she also started visiting a budget adviser.
"The budget adviser could see that I was struggling and that's where they both teamed together. The foodbank is a wonderful place, especially for families that can't afford food," she said.
"They are all lovely people. They don't judge you for the situation you're in."
Her children – aged 8, 6, 5, and 4 – even received a treat at Christmas time.
"I got a food parcel, and they gave my four children little gifts. It wasn't much, but they gave them a little present because that was a time that I couldn't afford to get them presents."
Things had improved since then, the single mum-of-four said. Her family was no longer getting help from the foodbank. She was also working part-time.
However, tough decisions were still having to be made.
"Due to the rise in rental cost, because it's not nice to be in situations where you can't afford food every week, we've decided to give up our rental and move into a caravan where it's going to be cheaper for us, and we're not going to be broke all the time."
She said there were a lot of families in Tauranga struggling like she did and she urged the community to get behind the foodbank and help.
Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin said it was a great feeling to know the single mum and her children had found support in the community to help them get through a tough time and improve their future.
"She has told me that she was so grateful for the support with food and that it really did make a difference. There were also other agencies working to help her family, and it is so great to know we can all link in together to make a difference to others' lives."
Goodwin said it was unfortunately common for the foodbank to meet a parent whose relationship had broken down and who was now trying to manage on their own and raise their kids.
"It is really, really tough or even impossible to make ends meet, whether you are reliant upon assistance from Work and Income or whether you are a wage earner, as often people have to work less hours to maintain care for the kids," she said.
"A stressful situation is made even more stressful if there isn't enough food in the cupboards. Expecting your children to go to bed hungry or wake up hungry and stay that way for the day is heartbreaking, and this level of stress will obviously spill over into other areas of their lives."
Filling those empty cupboards with staple food items is something the foodbank – and you, our readers – can help with.
Last week the Bay of Plenty Times launched a Foodbank SOS appeal to help the organisation fill its shelves in the lead-up to winter.
The response has been overwhelming.
So far, $6440 cash and 2238 food items have been donated.
That money and food will go a long way towards helping feed families in Tauranga who – like that single mum and her four children – have struck a rough patch and need some community support.
