Anti-Poverty Week falls in October, and it tends to produce a lot of images of empty cupboards. What we see at the centre is quieter than that, and it is worth describing accurately.
It is often temporary
A lot of people who come for a hamper come for a few weeks, not for years. A car repair, a cut in shifts, a bond on a new place, a funeral. The gap closes and we do not see them again, which is the system working.
It is often people in work
The idea that food relief is for people with no job has not matched what walks through our door for a long time.
The hardest part is usually the first visit
People tell us they sat in the car park. They tell us they sent someone else in. Shame does more damage than hunger in the short run, and it is the reason we do not means test and do not ask for a referral.
The thing that helps
Practically: a service that is free, local, predictable and does not interrogate you. That is what we try to make food relief and the community breakfast be.
If you want to help that continue, the supporters page shows who already does, and there is more on how to pitch in on our contact page.
