Metro visited Epping Forest Foodbank in Essex to mark National Foodbank Day (Picture: Dominic Whisson)
Susanna bumped into a friend while she walked through the Essex town of Loughton. Exchanging small talk, she was asked what she was up to. ‘Oh, just shopping,’ Susanna replied, holding on tightly to her bag.
In actual fact, the 61-year-old, who is going by a pseudonym, was on her way to St Mary’s Church. There, she turned past the main hall and through two sets of double doors where tables of fresh bread, eggs and tinned goods awaited her.
‘I don’t know why I didn’t tell my friend I was going to a foodbank,’ Susanna tells Metro, as she sits at a small table overlooking the church car park. ‘I suppose it feels like a handout.’
It’s been eight weeks since Susanna, originally from Ilford in London, started using the Epping Forest Foodbank. The great-grandmother has worked in retail, recruitment and security over the last four decades and hopes to train to become a bus driver, but is currently between jobs.
Universal Credit allowance not enough
‘I was born and bred in this country and my parents are from Barbados,’ Susanna says while explaining how she came to be in St Mary’s Church.
‘I’m on Universal Credit at the moment and there are times they call you for a phone interview. I’ve missed those phone calls twice which means they’ve sanctioned me. I’m behind on money and the worst case scenario is that I’ll have to choose between food and gas. I’ve never been in a situation like this in my working life. I hate going to bed hungry and cold.’
Actor Adrian McLoughlin sorts through food at St Mary’s Church in Loughton, Essex (Picture: Dominic Whisson)
Ukrainian translations are available alongside the items available (Picture: Dominic Whisson)
Today, Susanna has loaded up on instant noodles which she can cook with hot water from the kettle. She avoids using the hob to save money on energy bills.
‘This place is amazing,’ she adds. ‘Hopefully it won’t be a permanent thing, but more to help me get on my feet until I find work again. Here you get everything; fresh bread, tissues, soap, washing powder. I am so happy I’ve found it. And the people here never make you feel uncomfortable. They always ask “would you like something else?”’
Poverty ‘hidden’ in Epping Forest
There’s a common misconception that the majority in Epping Forest are wealthy, that poverty simply doesn’t exist there. The area is home to one of the country’s priciest postcodes and TV shows such as The Only Way Is Essex – filmed partially in Loughton. Plus, there’s small mountains of banknotes in the nearby village of Debden, where the UK’s money-making factory operates for the Bank of England.
‘People make sweeping assumptions that poverty doesn’t exist in this area,’ theatre critic Fiona Mountford, who volunteers as a driver at the Epping Forest Foodbank, tells Metro. ‘But they’re very wrong. The need is hiding …read more
Source:: Metro
