Voices of the foodbank

How does it feel to visit a food bank? In 2021, we asked people who visited Harlow Foodbank to share their story with us. What had led to them needing the service? How did they feel? And what did they feel would need to change for their situation to be better?

Statistics show there are four big reasons why people may find themselves in crisis and needing extra support from organisations such as Harlow Foodbank:

People who live alone and have one income can have less wiggle room when things don’t go to plan
Big life changes, such as illness, breakdown of relationships, death of a loved one
Universal Credit waiting times – stopping and starting
Debts – change in income, not keeping up with debt payments

All of this takes a toll on mental health.

Real people, real stories

The stories featured here give an insight into these four big reasons, as well as other factors. As you read, please bear in mind that each of the stories shared here are from real people.

Each of them visited Harlow Foodbank between November 2021 and May 2022. The context of this time period is important because:

The impacts of covid and lockdowns were being felt more greatly
The Universal Credit uplift introduced during lockdowns had been withdrawn
The words “Cost of living crisis” wasn’t a phrase we all used. Poverty, including food poverty, existed long before covid, the war in Ukraine, and the price increases and levels of inflation we are experiencing.