New scandal of Food Bank Britain
One school liaison officer told how a parent came to her pleading for help because her kids were suffering from SCURVY
 |
| Tough times: Sarah-Jane Hearne and her son Brandon |
PENNILESS mums are having to beg school teachers to help them feed their hungry kids.
Alison Jones, who works in Marian Richardson Primary School in Tower Hamlets, East London said: “She told me how her and the children would go around the back of a market nearby and pick up bruised apples or bruised bananas and take that home and make soup that would last for all of them for a week.”
Unfortunately, cooking the fruit destroyed the vital Vitamin C.
These shocking revelations lay bare the plight of thousands of families as children as young as four are found to be malnourished.
The Sunday Mirror has exposed the shocking statistics of Food Bank Britain, where 250,000 people used the charity-run food depots last year.
The Trussell Trust now has more than 250 food banks nationwide and today we talk to people who have had to turn to them as a last resort.
In Salisbury, Wiltshire, mum-of-three Sarah-Jane Hearne couldn’t cope after a delay in benefits payments.
It left her with just £100 a week to pay rent and household bills and buy food for herself, her partner and children.
She had to send her nine-year-old son Brandon to school with just a jam sandwich to last the day.
Brandon, who has two sisters aged 12 and 13, said: “I feel upset when my mum doesn’t eat.
"I try to make her feel better by giving her a kiss or a cuddle. Sometimes if other family members give me pocket money, I give it to my mum to help her buy food.”
Sarah-Jane was referred to the Trussell Trust by Brandon’s head teacher at Woodlands Primary School, Matthew Kitley.
He is a voucher holder for the Trust and often helps out families who run into short-term difficulties.
He said: “We are ranked number one for deprivation out of 199 schools in Wiltshire.
Lack of food severely affects the ability of children to learn. It prevents them achieving their full potential.”
Sarah-Jane was given food for three days, which ensured Brandon had a nourishing meal to take to school.
She said: “I want to be there for him when he goes to school and when he comes home. It is hard to find jobs that are flexible around school hours.
"So many people want them.
In Tower Hamlets, East London, mum- of-three Leanne Reed, 29, was struggling to feed her children properly despite help from her mother and the father of the children, and had to ask her school to help. More than half of state pupils in East London get free school meals.
But she still found it humbling when she had to ask for assistance after a benefits mix-up left her with hundreds of pounds to pay in rent arrears.
“It is so embarrassing to have to go to them and ask for help,” she said. “You feel like an absolute failure.
"But I was only able to give them a jam sandwich each and their dinner was a tin of spaghetti hoops between them and hot dogs.
"When they have a snack it was something like one bag of crisps between the three of them.
“If we didn’t have free school meals I would not be able to feed my children properly.
"Any parent wants to do the best for their kids but you think, ‘Why do I have to go and ask for charity? ’?”
In Hull, mum-of-two Wendy Clark found herself asking for help just a few weeks after she DONATED groceries to a food-bank collection.
Wendy, 40, approached teachers at Alderman Cogan Church of England Primary School after she realised she did not have enough food to feed four-year-old Jacob and Zachariah, nearly one.
She said: “It can happen to anyone. The fridge was very nearly bare by the time we got help.
"In the freezer we were down to half a bag of frozen chips and in the cupboard we had a couple of tins of soup.
"It is the least food we have ever had in the house and I have to say we were very worried.
“The children never went hungry and my mum and dad lent me money for their school dinners.
"In the end I would make sure they had something to eat before me if it came to it.”
Wendy sought help in case things got worse and was given a food voucher.
“The whole thing has been very humbling and to be quite honest I felt a little ashamed,” she said. “But when I left I felt grateful.”
Mirror
Children have to get by on as little as a jam sandwich a day because the cupboards at home are bare in Food Bank Britain.
One school liaison officer told how a parent came to her pleading for help because her children were suffering from SCURVY... a potentially fatal condition caused by a severe Vitamin C deficiency.
Unfortunately, cooking the fruit destroyed the vital Vitamin C.
These shocking revelations lay bare the plight of thousands of families as children as young as four are found to be malnourished.
The Sunday Mirror has exposed the shocking statistics of Food Bank Britain, where 250,000 people used the charity-run food depots last year.
The Trussell Trust now has more than 250 food banks nationwide and today we talk to people who have had to turn to them as a last resort.
In Salisbury, Wiltshire, mum-of-three Sarah-Jane Hearne couldn’t cope after a delay in benefits payments.
It left her with just £100 a week to pay rent and household bills and buy food for herself, her partner and children.
She had to send her nine-year-old son Brandon to school with just a jam sandwich to last the day.
“I felt heartbroken to send him to school like that,” she said. “You feel you shouldn’t be a mother if you can’t provide food for your children.
“You feel like you have failed. Then you don’t want to tell anyone because you feel so down.”
Brandon, who has two sisters aged 12 and 13, said: “I feel upset when my mum doesn’t eat.
"I try to make her feel better by giving her a kiss or a cuddle. Sometimes if other family members give me pocket money, I give it to my mum to help her buy food.”
Sarah-Jane was referred to the Trussell Trust by Brandon’s head teacher at Woodlands Primary School, Matthew Kitley.
He is a voucher holder for the Trust and often helps out families who run into short-term difficulties.
He said: “We are ranked number one for deprivation out of 199 schools in Wiltshire.
Lack of food severely affects the ability of children to learn. It prevents them achieving their full potential.”
Sarah-Jane was given food for three days, which ensured Brandon had a nourishing meal to take to school.
She said: “I want to be there for him when he goes to school and when he comes home. It is hard to find jobs that are flexible around school hours.
"So many people want them.
In Tower Hamlets, East London, mum- of-three Leanne Reed, 29, was struggling to feed her children properly despite help from her mother and the father of the children, and had to ask her school to help. More than half of state pupils in East London get free school meals.
But she still found it humbling when she had to ask for assistance after a benefits mix-up left her with hundreds of pounds to pay in rent arrears.
“It is so embarrassing to have to go to them and ask for help,” she said. “You feel like an absolute failure.
"But I was only able to give them a jam sandwich each and their dinner was a tin of spaghetti hoops between them and hot dogs.
"When they have a snack it was something like one bag of crisps between the three of them.
“If we didn’t have free school meals I would not be able to feed my children properly.
"Any parent wants to do the best for their kids but you think, ‘Why do I have to go and ask for charity? ’?”
 |
| Fridge was bare: Wendy Clark with son Jacob |
In Hull, mum-of-two Wendy Clark found herself asking for help just a few weeks after she DONATED groceries to a food-bank collection.
Wendy, 40, approached teachers at Alderman Cogan Church of England Primary School after she realised she did not have enough food to feed four-year-old Jacob and Zachariah, nearly one.
She said: “It can happen to anyone. The fridge was very nearly bare by the time we got help.
"In the freezer we were down to half a bag of frozen chips and in the cupboard we had a couple of tins of soup.
"It is the least food we have ever had in the house and I have to say we were very worried.
“The children never went hungry and my mum and dad lent me money for their school dinners.
"In the end I would make sure they had something to eat before me if it came to it.”
Wendy sought help in case things got worse and was given a food voucher.
“The whole thing has been very humbling and to be quite honest I felt a little ashamed,” she said. “But when I left I felt grateful.”
Mirror
