They gave me the help I needed
ONE of the many local people who needed to reach out to Southport Foodbank last year was Katie Brown.
Forced out of her home and on to benefits after a relationship breakdown the 28-year-old turned to the foodbank to help feed her two-year-old daughter, Chloe.
She said: “I was going hungry so Chloe wouldn’t but then things were getting so bad I was worried there wasn’t enough even to do that.
“The foodbank helped me through that worst period.
“It wasn’t only the food, just being able to talk things through with someone there and not be judged was such a relief.”
That emotional support can be just as desperately needed as the food and practical advice, such as signposting clients to other agencies.
Greg Myers said: “We make a real effort to ensure that people are treated with respect. It’s often a traumatic set of circumstances that’s brought them to us so that needs to be understood and we can offer counselling here at Lakeside if required.”
Since Katie’s visit things have begun to really turn around for her and her daughter and she is no longer worried if people know she went to the foodbank.
She said: “It’s there solely to give help in the local community. I was embarrassed to go at first but I needn’t have worried as they were lovely. Then I was embarrassed for other people to know, because, well, you are kind of made to feel that way by society, but we needed help and they gave it to us. What is there to be ashamed about?”
Katie is equally sure of the value of the help she received and this week has decided to sign up and volunteer there herself.
“The foodbank gave us what we badly needed at that point and helped us start to turn the corner. Now I’m bringing up my little girl in a happy home and although things still aren’t easy my confidence is flooding back, so I want to put something back into my community by volunteering.”
Katie also believes a little more compassion all round rather than condemnation would go a long way to helping the region’s families and single adults who are struggling.
“If people learn to give when they can and take when they need, without any stigma or prejudice, we’d all be better off.
“Some might sneer or think they’d never stoop to ask for food assistance themselves, but you ask most of the people who’ve been, they didn’t expect to end up there either.”