Child poverty scandal: 'I've seen grown men cry because they can't feed their families'

The startling reality facing many people in Britain today, as the government forces austerity measures that are crippling businesses and forcing layoffs increasing the number of those who can't find work and so can't protect their families.
David Cameron says it their own fault, and looks to criminalise the unemployed, when the reality is the bankers created this economic disaster and whilst they are safe in their luxury homes, the rest of us face a bitter winter of increased food and fuel bills and uncertainty over the security of our jobs.

Child poverty scandal: 'I've seen grown men cry because they can't feed their families'

 

Andrew Barr, who helps lead the food bank

Andrew Barr, project manager of the Trussell Trust food bank in Oldham, describes the stark realities of families living on the breadline ...
SINCE the start of the year, we’ve helped 537 people – 142 of them children. It’s about 25 people a week.
The food bank works by providing three days-worth of emergency food, which has been put together by an NHS nutritionist.
We are helping people in a crisis. It’s a short-term step to a long-term solution.
For some children, the school meal is their only proper meal and during the holidays they are not going to get it. They might have nothing in the morning, their free school meal, and then some biscuits at night.
Pupils come to school with just a biscuit for lunch, says headteacher
I would say in 40 per cent of cases, the biggest cause of referral is a delay in benefits. If people have been laid off, then they can have a two-week wait before they start to get benefits.
Even though it is back-dated, it still means they have no money in the short-term.
We are talking about people who are often in minimum wage jobs and who don’t necessarily have a larder they can raid to keep them going. They are relying on what they have got in the cupboard that day, and a lot of people find it difficult to get their head around that.
Because of our referral system, we don’t really see people who are benefit cheats who are trying to work the system.
The people we see are definitely genuine. I’ve seen grown men coming in who are crying because they are so embarrassed they can’t feed their family. If it wasn’t for the food bank, I genuinely believe people would be going shoplifting. People have told me how they have been so hungry they have thought about going to into Sainsbury’s to see what they can get away with.