Single mum Kellie Radcliffe sits alone as crochets her handmade blanket. Knitting is the only way she can keep her mind busy these days.
Her life looked so different last year. Within just a few months, Kellie’s world crumbled – her dad died and she suffered an injury so debilitating that at times she has to use a wheelchair.
The mum-of-two was helping an elderly woman off the ground when she hurt her back. The 45-year-old, from Droylsden, noticed the stranger had fallen over outside her home and quickly rushed to her aid.
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A week later, Kellie's back started to ache. She visited doctors and learned she had slipped a disk and it had affected the nerves in her legs.
While she waits for surgery, Kellie takes medication to manage the pain. The injury means she struggles to walk and can't stand for long periods.
On top of that, she was recently forced to give up her accounting job to care for her 11-year-old son with autism.
As living costs continue to rocket, the mum now finds herself in a desperate situation. She currently has £20 in her bank account and survives solely on a local foodbank – eating just one meal a day to ensure there’s enough for her children.
“I’ve got £20 left and that’s not even going to see my gas and electric,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “I can’t buy any food.
“I don’t drive, I don’t smoke or drink. It’s ridiculous. You get to the point where you think, ‘How can I cut back anymore without actually living the life we have?’
“We’re not living, we’re surviving. If I cut back anymore, what is that going to do to our lives?”
Desperate for help, Kellie discovered Feedo Needo, a charity which offers food and basic necessities to those in need in the local community.
The organisation has a food bank at Droylsden F.C and offers free food between 9am and 2pm “regardless of race, gender, religion and ability”.
Kellie says she has no idea where she would be without the charity’s help. “When things started getting really difficult, I started going once a week to get a food parcel,” she said. “You can just turn up.
“You get something to eat and a hot meal. You feel embarrassed by the situation, but no one should be expected to live like that. It’s humiliating.
“I’m depending on it. Without them, we would go without food. I try and hide it as much as I can from the kids, but it’s quite often that I go without food because I would rather give them something to eat. Feedo Needo is the only meal I get a day.”
Kellie receives an Income Support allowance but yes it’s still not enough to help with rising bills. “This week I’ve got no money and I’m sat here thinking I’m going to have to get some from somewhere to get gas and electric,” she added.
Wanting to repay Feedo Needo for their help, Kellie volunteers at the foodbank alongside being a scout leader and helping to run a children’s youth club.
Talking about her volunteer work, she said: “When I was back on my feet a little bit, I felt like it didn’t feel right that I couldn’t pay anything back.
“Without Feedo Needo I would be completely lost. After spending time in hospital due to my slipped disc, volunteers came to visit me as soon as I got home and brought me food supplies, which I was grateful for.
“A lot of people talk about the cost-of-living crisis, but I don’t think many understand the true extend to the impact it is having on millions of households. We haven’t been able to turn our oven on for six weeks because we can’t afford the energy bills.
“We are being forced to choose between energy and food which is an awful position to be in. I don’t think a lot of people understand how restricting this is – we can only eat meals if they can be cooked in the air-fryer, slow cooker or microwave which is very hard.
“You’re not holding up mentally but it’s just a way of life. It’s just the way we’re programmed to having to live.
“We have no choice, we have to get on with it. I can go to the doctors and get put on antidepressants, but what is that going to do?
“We’re having to live hand to mouth constantly. It’s a massive stress and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.”
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