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Real Stories
“The foodbank was a lifesaver.” Your support is helping us to change lives.
Keith’s Story
“I realised that I was never going to have to be desperately hungry again.”
Keith first came to the Foodbank when he was struggling with homelessness. He described his first visit to the Foodbank: “I felt embarrassed about having to ask for help with something like food and if a friend hadn’t taken me I probably wouldn’t have gone. When I got there though the welcome was so nice and they were really friendly. I remember coming home with the parcel, putting the food in my cupboards and they felt like they were nearly full, I thought, “this is amazing”. A few months later when I went to the foodbank for a second time I realised that I was never going to have to be desperately hungry again.”
A few years later with support through the Foodbank and a Citizens Advice worker there Keith was able to get into rented accommodation and the correct benefit. Its been a long journey and Keith said, “Having the Foodbank has felt like there is somewhere to go when I have questions or am struggling. They have also helped me to get PIP which has taken a very long time and finally I have it! I have never had this kind of support before, the Foodbank has become a safe place for me and I have been able to open up about my circumstances. I never felt able to do that before and if I have a problem I know where to go just to be able to talk to someone. They even helped me cook better and make a cottage pie with a leaflet I picked up there!”
Everything isn’t easy but things are so much better and Keith says he knows where to go when he needs help.
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Holly’s Story
“The people at the foodbank were wonderful, they understood and saved us.”
Having always worked and never claimed benefits, Holly, 29, from Chichester was bringing up her four-year-old daughter, Phoebe alone. She was determined to give her the best possible start in life, but when Phoebe suddenly fell ill, Holly was forced to turn to a foodbank for help.
The council flat that Holly was living in was in a deprived area with drug dealing and dog fouling taking place in the corridor outside her door. Holly was adamant that her daughter should have a better environment to grow up in and was offered alternative accommodation near her parents but at double the cost. As well as borrowing money from her parents to meet the cost, Holly was working part time. At the same time, she had been selling second-hand clothes online and the shop she was working in noticed its success and offered her a space selling clothes in their shop.
Under normal circumstances, Holly could just about scrape by, but when her daughter became poorly and had to spend three weeks in hospital, she was forced to close the shop temporarily. When Phoebe recovered, they returned home to empty kitchen cupboards, bills racking up and no income to support them.
Holly felt unable to ask her family for help again and after discussions with the local Citizens Advice Bureau she was referred to the foodbank.
Holly said: “The people at the foodbank were wonderful, they understood and saved us.”
Although Holly’s situation is still precarious, knowing the foodbank is there in an emergency is a huge weight off her shoulders.
Richard’s Story
“Without the foodbank, I don’t think I would be here today.”
Having worked in the police force for six years, followed by 12-years in the Royal Military Police, Richard, 49, from New Milton, had always considered himself fit and healthy. However, this all changed when a chest infection quickly developed into a heart condition and he suffered from two major strokes followed by 19 mini strokes, leaving him unable to work.
Richard’s situation deteriorated further when he separated from his wife and moved out of their family home, where, unfortunately due to this change of address his Employment Support Allowance (ESA) was delayed. As a result of his serious heart condition Richard needs 35 tablets a day, but the cost of travelling to collect his prescriptions left him without enough money for food, and his local Citizens Advice Bureau referred him to the foodbank.
Although Richard admits he never expected to be in this situation, on arrival he was put at ease straight away. “The volunteers were fantastic, offering a chat and a shoulder to cry on. I suffer from depression as well and without the foodbank I don’t think I would be here today,” he said.
Richard looks forward to seeing his 10-year-old daughter every weekend but admits he has skipped meals on a few occasions so she can eat. He explains: “It’s a really bad situation that people have to decide whether they can feed themselves, feed their children or put the heating on. It’s a case of having to budget or having to go without.”
At the moment things are still tough for Richard, he’s on the waiting list for a heart transplant and will be on medication for the rest of his life, but he’s grateful that the foodbank is available if he ever needs some extra help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3scrALoxT_8