Esther is a single mum with two young children. One of her children has behavioural problems, which means she can't work fulltime, which in turn keeps her income low. 

Then Esther's sister died, leaving a young son without a home. Esther took her nephew in to live with them, and is now applying to foster him, a lengthy administrative process. In the meantime Esther, already struggling on a low income, has an extra mouth to feed with no extra help from benefits until the relevant paperwork has been put in place. The professionals working with Esther have been able to provide her with Foodbank vouchers to help her through this difficult time of re-adjustment. 

Paul, a young man in his 20s, has been unemployed for the past 6 months. While actively seeking for work, his benefits were delayed, leaving him without an income. When his application for a crisis loan was refused it looked like he had nowhere else to turn. But instead of facing crisis, Paul was directed to Foodbank where he twice received foodboxes, keeping him from going without. In addition, contact with Swindon Foodbank has also lead to him being in touch with another organisation who are helping to furnish his flat.

Sally and John live in Swindon and have six children. But recently the family suffered the trauma of Sally's eldest son, also called John, losing his battle with cancer. As if this difficult time wasn't enough, there followed a mix up over their benefits. Due to Sally's partner and son both having the same name, the Benefits Office incorrectly recorded the death of the wrong John. Suddenly Sally and her partner, still reeling from their son's death and concentrating on comforting their remaining five children, were faced with trying to support the family with no money coming in.

Sally and John received support from professionals in Swindon, who referred them to Swindon Foodbank. We have been privileged to be part of the team supporting this family through a distressing time, providing food for the whole family while the benefits mess is cleared up. Contact with the family has allowed us also to give emotional support It is a great example of how the network of support agencies in Swindon work together to provide help for those in crisis.

Derek was recently referred to Swindon Foodbank by Prospect Hospice. Previously living on the streets Derek, now in accommodation, was living on the edge of poverty, with no family to help. Then late last year he was diagnosed with cancer, and began undergoing treatment. Prospect Hospice are caring for him, while Foodbank is making sure he is well fed. But the greatest blessing is not so much the food, but the knowledge that he is not alone - there are people who will care for him for as long as it takes.

Susan and her partner both worked for Woolworths, bringing in £30,000 between them each month. With the store's closure in 2009 they were faced with a drastically reduced income. Despite working hard to adjust to their new income, and continually searching for new employment, by Christmas they were struggling. Their circumstances had changed meaning that their benefits were not regular, and neither had managed to find regular work. Swindon Foodbank was able to help bridge the gap till their benefits were stabilised. 

My foodbank story all started at the beginning of this year. I met Kellie in January and we soon got together in February, I was homeless whereas Kellie was in emergency accommodation. Our benefits were getting delayed and we were struggling to feed ourselves. A friend mentioned to us that there was a company called the foodbank that could help us out, at first it seemed to be too good to be true. We went to the law centre in town and received a voucher entitling us to 3-5 days worth of food that we couldn’t afford to pay for ourselves.

So off we went to the foodbank one day and were given around six bags of food and met some wonderful people in the process. Over the coming months we visited a few more times, during this time the council finally found me a flat, as I was homeless however I had no furniture and hardly any belongings to move in with. Richard and his wife Sandra pointed me to the furniture project that was run by a member of their church and within a few months I had everything in place that i needed.

However during this time I had to make regular visits to the foodbank to just be able to feed myself and Kellie. Whilst we were choosing the furniture we were so touched by the generosity of the people helping that we decided to attend their church as a mark of thanks and respect.

The Sunday morning we attended something struck deep within us, seeing all the people there so friendly and passionate in what they believed in. It left a lasting impression on us and we started attending more and more often, soon after we were invited to join a small group from the church to learn and gain a wider understanding of God.

On 22^nd November 09 Kellie and I were baptised and in a way our story all started with a visit to the foodbank to receive help that we wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else. In the long run we both know it was God’s plan for the both of us and we're planning our wedding at the church early in 2010.

This is our story, I hope you enjoy it at much as we are!

Swindon Foodbank has many stories of being able to help people in crisis. People like Brian:  “My wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I’ve had to give up work in order to take care of her and our twin sons who are just 18 months old - but I won’t get benefits for 12 weeks. How on earth am I going to provide for my family and take care of them during this time?”

Foodbank was able to help Brian by giving him food to feed his family until his benefits started.

Brian’s story is just one example of the many varying situations in which we offer support.