'I sat and cried': Community support overwhelms CQ mum

Moranbah family is overwhelmed by the community support in a time of financial hardship.

THANK YOU: Renee Blandthorn with her husband and two sons. Picture: Contributed

IN A time of extreme hardship, Renee Blandthorn had no other choice but to turn to the community of Moranbah for support.

Her husband had been out of work for nearly three months when the mother of two reached a point of financial distress, as "bills kept coming in and snowballing".

"I sat down and did my expenses and by the time I paid for rent, daycare, all the main expenses, I literally had five cents left in my budget to put towards groceries for two weeks," she said.

"I sat there and cried for a couple of hours. I felt like a really bad parent.

"I was in a situation where I didn't want to embarrass myself but I looked at the kids (both under five) and I thought I need to swallow my pride for my kids' sake."

With no family locally to look to, Mrs Blandthorn took to the Moranbah Community Notice Board this week as a last resort, but didn't expect the response she would receive.

The Facebook post received more than 60 comments from community members donating food, Coles gift vouchers and asking what else the family needed.

Fighting back tears, Mrs Blandthorn said she was "very overwhelmed at the response Moranbah gave me".

"There were no negative comments it was just lots of love and support.

"I didn't know what to say or do. I had so many people offering help.

"Yesterday (Tuesday) I felt like the whole world was crashing down on me, but now I know we're going to get through this."

Mrs Blandthorn extends a huge thanks to the Moranbah community for their incredible generosity.

"I would like to thank everyone for their support and kind words, for their generosity, it's just amazing to see," she said.

"Everyone in this community should really be proud of themselves and the way they help people in need and help each other, and I really thank everyone for that.

"Once I find my feet I'll be doing the same thing - putting together a hamper with someone's grocery needs."

She also encourages others to speak out if they need help, "because at the end of the day you'll be surprised by how much help is actually out there".

Originally published as 'I sat and cried': Community support overwhelms CQ mum