Amy's Story

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In 2018 I became a single Mum facing bankruptcy, having just left an abusive relationship.

 

Overnight I was thrown into a seemingly never-ending juggle of paying rent, affording gas/electricity and feeding my two kids. More often than not I came up short, despite working whenever I could & receiving the maximum government support for my circumstances. Some weeks I would only eat once I knew my kids had eaten enough, despite carefully planning our shopping to last us. Or I'd spend the weekends the kids were at their Dad's in my bedroom, as I couldn't afford to heat the whole flat and feed us too.

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I'm forever thankful for my parents for stepping in when things were really bad and helping me make up the short fall - many people don't have that luxury.

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If I had access to something like Dunbar Foodshare and their Self Referrals I would have definitely used it. Knowing I could have fed my kids & myself, whilst still affording my rent & to heat my home would have meant a massive stress lifted. It would have also let me keep some dignity and not have to continuously rely on my parents goodwill whilst I tried to find my feet again.

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In hindsight, having access to a place like Dunbar Foodshare and Social Cafe may have also allowed me to receive some of the support I didn't [then] realise I needed - both professional and not - for my mental-health and well-being.