The Salvation Army is hoping to raise $8 million from this weekend's Red Shield appeal.
Thousands of volunteers will be knocking on doors across the country, asking for donations.
The Salvos' Paul Kinder says he hopes people will dig deep for struggling families.
“Australian’s are just incredibly generous and we find that when the times are tough and people are feeling an economic pinch Australians really do recognise the need of the battlers.”