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Real Stories
“The foodbank was a lifesaver.” Your support is helping us to change lives.
Colin’s story
“Foodbank is definitely more than a tin of food, I am appreciated and valued.”
When I moved from living in just one room to a house the bills started piling up. I was really struggling, plus I was having trouble paying back a loan. I didn’t realize how much I would have to pay back, it got out of hand very quickly. Food was really hard to come by.
I plucked up the courage and went to a place in Stoke which referred me to Foodbank. They gave me a voucher plus a box full of food to help me out until I visited a Foodbank. I was that grateful I cried. I went to St. John’s to collect my food and I was overwhelmed by the support that I got. I had 3 bags of food. I smiled all the way home.
Once I got back on my feet I went to Foodbank and started volunteering. I have been volunteering for just over 12 months, Foodbank is definitely more than a tin of food, I am appreciated and valued.
Thank you so much Foodbank, you are wonderful. God bless you all.
Lisa’s Story
“the school holidays are particularly difficult financially due to the extra burden of feeding a “teenager and near teenager” who in Lisa’s words “eat me out of house and home” and the additional cost of providing activities”.
Lisa is a single parent of three children a 14yr old daughter, an 11 yr old son who has a learning disability and an 11 month old baby girl. She claims Income Support and the two eldest children receive free school meals.
For Lisa, the school holidays are particularly difficult financially due to the extra burden of feeding a “teenager and near teenager” who in Lisa’s words “eat me out of house and home” and the additional cost of providing activities.
The family have been attending holiday clubs at their local Methodist Church for over a year and Lisa has nothing but praise for the Church and volunteers who provide a two course meal and a wide range of craft, sports and cooking activities to entertain and educate families. Families are referred to the scheme (which is supported by Stoke-on-Trent foodbank and the city council) by school family support workers. Lisa was pleased with the sensitive manner, in which referrals were made,
“I didn’t mind because my son just had an envelope addressed to parent or carer of my son….he was given the letter and there were a couple in the class who were referred as well…. It wasn’t a derogatory letter but it was saying ‘you have been invited to a holiday club over the 6 week summer holiday’…. It gave me the days and that there was going to be a meal”.
Lisa thinks that the clubs are beneficial for people on low income as they provide a range of free activities which the children enjoy. She said
“For people on low income, single parent families it is good because we don’t have the money to go to the local Indoor Aqua Park or Family Theme Park where the children want to go. So if there’s other activities that they can do, such as the Holiday Club I think it’s beneficial.”
She said that they particularly enjoyed the cooking session when they were shown how to make pumpkin soup and given the ingredients to take home and make up themselves. Lisa believes that all children should be taught to cook healthy meals and thought that the fact that the chef who taught them to make the pumpkin soup had been on the TV inspired her children to have a go themselves.
Lisa found the Holiday Clubs which her family attended to be welcoming and friendly and did not look down on her family for being poor.