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Amy's Story

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.

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.

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.

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.

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