麻豆约拍

When I was working, I ate on the hop. Sandwiches here, something there. I never made anything at home, but I鈥檝e come to have to do that.

I鈥檓 not absolutely useless鈥� I just don鈥檛 have the facilities. I鈥檝e got an oven-microwave combo grill that was in the corner of the kitchen and barely got used, and a kettle.

They鈥檝e even given me sachets of porridge, and it鈥檚 embarrassing, but they had to tell me how to cook them.

I thought you needed gas and a stove to make porridge. But you actually can make it in the microwave. So that鈥檚 the solution.

I鈥檓 trying to find work to get me out of this predicament. I鈥檓 more worried about eating than finding a job.

I went for an interview the other day, so let鈥檚 hope I hear something positive.

The money that I escaped with was my housekeeping money. I couldn鈥檛 save. I was on a strict budget when I was in an abusive relationship.

I think we had about four weeks out of the home and ended up staying in a caravan. I applied for benefits but there鈥檚 a delay so in the meantime it鈥檚 come to crisis point.

All the funds I escaped with have run out. The food source is dwindling and I鈥檝e exhausted all my friends and family for handouts.

While living in the caravan we basically ate picnic food. I鈥檓 able to do a little Tesco shop for about 拢10 and it鈥檒l last us for three days.

I鈥檓 buying a lot of cheese and ham. It鈥檚 sandwiches, crisps, a piece of fruit and biscuits.
I feel like we are eating a lot better, healthier, because when there was domestic violence in the home we were shutting the kids up with sweets and bad food.

Luckily I鈥檝e got qualifications I can fall back on, I intend on this being a short stopgap.

Within the next six months, as the court orders proceed and we know where our future is heading, then I can start being less reliant on the state, and become more independent.

I鈥檓 from the Ivory Coast. My children are British, but I'm not and I had to renew my visa. I had to pay the 麻豆约拍 Office fees. They鈥檙e extremely expensive.

When you鈥檙e working but a bill comes, you don鈥檛 know what to do. I didn鈥檛 have anything to feed myself with, or how to get food for the children. I was depressed.

Our food is African-English, we mix the dishes. In the food bank, they don鈥檛 have everything we want from our culture.

With what they give us we can economise, then buy food from our culture from the market with the little money we鈥檝e saved: yams, cassava, chicken meat.

The food bank gives us rice and then we can go home and prepare it. We make jollof rice. We eat that and feel happy. We know that we are home.

I鈥檓 staying in a tent down by the river. The tent was given to me by a homeless shelter in Chelmsford because they had no spaces, so they gave me a double sleeping bag and a tent which was a bit broken but I repaired it.

My number one food when I haven鈥檛 got much money is vegetables, plenty of vegetables. I鈥檓 not that bothered about meat and fish. I can eat pulses and beans.

There are plenty of things to survive on, I know a lot about mushrooms. I鈥檝e got a standard army issue World War Two little cooker, then we just light a fire.

I like nettle soup. I just boil them and put them in with all the other vegetables.

I eat anything I can get cheap. I never used to eat anything, I was fussy before.

I鈥檓 a little bit worried [about winter coming]. I was homeless last winter but I got by.

When I had a place to live, I was out of my house because I didn鈥檛 want to be there anyway. I used to walk around the fields in the winter because I like the snow, it鈥檚 so pretty.

I like being outside, it鈥檚 nice and quiet, and you can see the stars.

I go to sleep at 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning. I don鈥檛 like the dark, so I stay awake until there鈥檚 proper daylight.

I couldn鈥檛 do that today because I had to come to the food bank. I feel all back to front.

I live on a lot of soups, because I鈥檝e got a problem with my throat. It hurts to swallow. When I lay down it鈥檚 the worst.

I鈥檝e been to hospital a few times. They鈥檙e putting a barium meal down me. You鈥檙e not allowed to drink, eat or smoke for eight hours before.

I can go without food for eight hours but I am an alcoholic so not drinking is going to be difficult.

I come to the food bank every three weeks. I don鈥檛 abuse it because there are lots of people who need help. If I鈥檓 desperate like I am this week then I鈥檝e got no choice.