I’ve experienced hard times in my life. My husband left 10 years ago. As a single parent – my daughter was 19 by then – I was stacking shelves, working seven days a week and I’d have about £10 ($13) left to spend on food. We’d be eating pasta with margarine, or noodles for 9p (12 cents) a packet. Going without has made us terrible food hoarders; the cupboards are stacked up.
Having been there myself, I’m now in a position to help others. Where I’m from in Byker, Newcastle, it’s a tight-knit community and about half the area is deprived. I’ve worked in catering all my life and at the moment I’m cooking meals at a community kitchen in Byker twice a week as a volunteer. I’ll turn out 40-plus meals for £1 ($1.30) a head. And if anyone turns up at my house looking for a feed, I’ll help them out.
