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Real Stories
“The foodbank was a lifesaver.” Your support is helping us to change lives.
J’s Story
J lives locally with her 22 year-old daughter and 5 year old granddaughter. Her daughter was abused at the age of 8 by her father, and was subsequently taken into care, before returning to her mother. Her daughter now lives with very poor mental health and has a history of self-harm and suicide attempts.
Her daughter had a baby when aged 16. J’s daughter and granddaughter both live with her as dependents, and J has not been able to work since as she has needed to care for them both. She trained as a lawyer and qualified in 2012, and was accepted to study for the bar in 2019. During her studies her daughter gave birth. Her daughter went back to college and they tried to share care of the baby while both studying, but their timetables clashed and Janet gave up her course so that her daughter could continue hers. They have had to move around a lot, and have recently been housed in Kensington & Chelsea where she feels she is receiving more support.
J’s granddaughter has now started at school, and J has some hours available during the school day to work. However as she has had a long break from work she finds that people are unwilling to give her a chance. She is now doing some voluntary work to show that she is ready for the workplace, and has received support from Citizens Advice at the foodbank to help her into work.
The family doesn’t have enough to survive. They receive £87 a week in Universal Credit, which has to cover all their expenses. J says that receiving food has helped immensely – they simply couldn’t manage without it. J says that the support she has received from a particular volunteer at the foodbank, talking to her and signposting her to support services, has given her the will to live.
A’s Story
A is 60 and is originally from Zimbabwe. He used to work as a TEFL teacher. After his marriage broke down he found himself homeless, and lived on the streets for 15 years in Cardiff, Bristol, Bath and then London.
He has been off the streets for three years now, and has been supported by various charities to rebuild his life. Andrew doesn’t currently have an income, but has finished a course in Health and Safety in construction and is applying for jobs. He has been using the foodbank since August last year, when he was just starting his course, and it has kept him going at difficult moments through the course.
A says that since coming to the foodbank his health and energy has improved. Since being off the streets his life has changed completely, and having sufficient food has been a huge part of this. He has porridge in the morning, and milk to drink, which sets him up for the day so that if he needs to miss meals he has energy to manage. Sometimes he wakes in the morning without any food in the house – not even porridge. He says this is scary, but that he is reassured knowing he can get more food from the food bank.
He doesn’t know what he would do without the food bank. He thinks the worst thing in life is to worry about food, as it makes you not even want to get up. It has saved him from depression and allowed him to enjoy the comfort of his home. Without food he just wants to sleep, and doesn’t get out in nature – something that he feels is important for his health and well-being.
A says that life is transformed since coming off the streets, and is very thankful for his home. He has also received help from the addiction charity Turning Point and Citizens Advice. A says he feels like he is in a good place, and just needs food occasionally. He says he feels armed with everything he needs to succeed. Now that he has qualifications he feels he deserves to be rewarded with a job.