Man cries at food bank after eating first proper meal in two weeks
'Something so simple can make them break into tears'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man cried at a food bank after he received his first substantial meal in two weeks, according to staff.
The man came to the Store House in Skegness for a plate of hot food.
“He just had a chilli and sobbed that he had eaten,” Debby Harland, restore co-ordinator, told Lincolnshire Live.
She added that the man came in on 21 June and had not eaten properly for two weeks.
“In that position, something so simple can make them break into tears," she said.
“It’s awful to see that but we do form relationships. We do get to care about these people. We are human.
“It gets to me. Sometimes I have to go and take a moment to gather myself.
“It makes you grateful for what you have got.”
The Store House is only driven by donations from the public. This May, the food bank had 170 referrals, compared to 49 referrals the previous year.
Ms Harland said that people in Skegness were “very generous”, and that one 84-year-old man had donated £1,000.
“That really helped,” she said.
“I was able to fill the larder. Because of the rise in demand, it is dwindling.
"There is also a rise in people escaping domestic violence."
More than 1.1 million three-day emergency good parcels were given to people between April 2016 and 2017, according to Trussell Trust. A total of 436,000 of those parcels were to children.
A food bank in Glasgow was forced to ask for help on social media as it was running out of supplies.
The Trussell Trust reports that the primary reasons for using food banks are delays and changes to benefit payments, as well as unemployment, disability and mental health issues, and domestic violence.
Before the election Theresa May said there were many “complex” reasons that people use food banks, when questioned as to why there were reports of nurses resorting to emergency food supplies.
After the election, Ms May and her team indicated that austerity - a policy of slashing funds to social services - would have to be cut back after almost eight years as the electorate wanted to improve their living standards
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments