A single mum with four children from Harrogate has opened up about her experience of struggling to pay the bills to try and break the stigma around poverty.
Kayleigh Cooper lost her job manning the phones in the evenings at a taxi company early in the coronavirus pandemic.
So overnight, after never worrying about money, she started to wonder how she could afford her rising living costs while also feeding her children.
She gets Universal Credit and food vouchers but they have not been able to cover her costs.
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Ms Cooper felt ashamed about her situation at first. But after reaching out for support, she now wants to let others know that they do not need to “suffer in silence” like she did. She said:
“I was really struggling to feed my children on a daily basis. A lot of people pretend they are doing alright, I have done it myself. But we need to talk about the issue otherwise it gets swept under the rug.
“For me I never had to worry about money before this. Since losing my job I have had to make those choices between paying the utility bills and buying food.
“It’s not just those without a job though, there are plenty of people with jobs who do not have enough money to live off too. Sometimes they struggle even more.
“My anxiety has been a lot worse. It really has had an impact on my mental health. However since reaching out for support I feel like I have had a weight taken off my shoulders.”
Reaching out for support at the new community grocery
A neighbour told Ms Cooper about the community grocery run by the Resurrected Bites team, which opened last month at New Park Primary Academy Community Hub.
She was hesitant at first but broke down in tears when she finally decided to go and ask for help.
People pay £5 a year to sign up as members and are then entitled to pay £3, £6 or £9 depending on the size of their family. The value of the items for the £3 shop would usually cost around £30.
She posted this picture online of a shop that cost her £9 to try and break the stigma.
It has a wide range of tinned, fresh food and frozen food. The shop also stocks toiletries, sanitary products and nappies in various sizes.
The shop, which can be found in one of the school’s separate buildings on West Street, just off Skipton Road, is open daily every Tuesday and Thursday between 9.30am and 3.30pm. Ms Cooper added:
“It has lightened me because I know even if I have £10 or £15 that week that I can go down to the community grocery and get meals for my children.
“I have used food banks in the past but I have had to pass things on because I won’t use it.
“So the beauty of it is that you get to choose what you take. They have everything you could need and the people there were so lovely.
“I wanted to post pictures so other people could see what they could get. I didn’t expect it but my post got a really positive response.”
