Schoolboy, 14, faints from hunger as he queues at London food bank
Schoolboy, 14, faints from hunger as he queues at London foodbank after telling owner his family’s ‘cupboards at home were empty’
- Earlsfield Foodbank on Twitter said that the boy had fainted waiting for food
- A record number of people are accessing food banks in Britain, a charity said
- They said an ambulance had been called as the boy had ‘hit his head’
A 14-year-old boy ‘fainted from hunger’ while waiting at a London food bank, the company running the charity had said.
Earlsfield Foodbank in south west London tweeted about the incident today and said the boy’s ‘cupboards at home were empty’.
According to the Trussell Trust, a record 2.5 million were given out by their network between 2020 and 2021 with the cost-of-living crisis set to worsen the problems.
A 14-year-old boy ‘fainted from hunger’ while waiting at a London food bank, the company running the charity had said
The food bank’s owner posted: ‘Today at the food bank an ambulance was called, as a 14 year old fainted and hit his head.
‘He hadn’t eaten for a while. The cupboards at home were empty.
‘The levels of hardship and suffering we’re seeing are extreme, every week it gets worse and worse.’
The owner added: ‘Stark choices – eating vs heating, cutting every other meal – have already been made this winter.
‘We’ve already seen children sleeping in coats, people coming to us literally starving, with very little support available.
‘There is no road left to run. No safety net or cushion available. And after yesterday’s spring statement, it will only get much worse.
‘We are desperately worried about what comes next. Those who have the least are already suffering the most. How can we tolerate this?’
Earlsfield Foodbank in south west London tweeted about the incident today and said the boy’s ‘cupboards at home were empty’
The horrifying story follows a huge increase in foodbank use across the capital since the pandemic hit. From 2020 to 2021, over 420,000 people used a foodbank in London alone – which is an increase of nearly 200,000 from the year before.
The foodbank owner’s tweet quickly went viral, amassing over 30,000 likes and nearly 10,000 retweets. Following the exposure, she added: ‘Following this thread, lots of people have asked how they can help.
‘Please write to your MP asking them to address the root causes of poverty. The wonderful @IFAN-UK organization have produced a template letter. https://www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/write-to-your-mp.’
Finally, she added that the boy was ‘ok’, and was now at home and doing well.
