A starving single mum has said "a weight has been lifted" after kind-hearted strangers donated £5,000 in a day to help her feed her family. This week, Kelly Thomson revealed that she has twice been hospitalised due to malnutrition during the cost-of-living crisis.
The 43-year-old admitted that she has been skipping meals to feed her children - and has unfortunately considered begging as a way to make ends meat. In an effort to get some form of help, the Slough mother-of-two decided to launch a GoFundMe page, with a target of just £50.
Amazingly, Kelly's page has reached £5,308 in one day, receiving 231 donations - and the number continues to rise. Donors have left touching messages of support for the struggling mum, who said she was overwhelmed by the generosity.
Kelly also revealed one person has offered to replace both her children's worn-out school uniforms, while another volunteered to buy her food shop each week, reports the Mirror.
Kelly, from Slough, said: "The offers have been crazy, it's absolutely beautiful. Since the story went out I have had more than 100 messages. I can't believe the generosity of people. My faith in humanity has been restored."
New Office for National Statistics data released on Wednesday, August 17, revealed the UK inflation rate is the highest it's been since 1982, at 10.1 per cent. Kelly has just £40 per week to spend on food for herself and her two kids - often leaving her eating once a day just to ensure her kids get fed.
The single mum shared her story in the media this week in a desperate bid to shed a light on the crippling inflation hikes. She has been struggling to get by since getting Long Covid in December 2020, when she was signed off from her job as a cleaner.
Her universal credit covered her £1,300 monthly rent and a few other costs. She said she had just £160 a month left for everything else. She told how was forced to take her children's birthday gifts to Cash Converters to get money for food, and they rely on a food bank to survive.
But even after that, she still has to go hungry just to spare enough food for her kids to survive. After kind strangers read her story, she has been inundated with kind messages, offers of support and donations on her GoFundMe page.
Kelly said she was in disbelief at the public response - describing it as being "absolutely beautiful". She added: "It's been unreal. It's been absolutely crazy. I can't believe the generosity of people.
"A weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I know now that we can afford food for at least a few weeks thanks to the donations. I could never have dreamt or imagined that this would happen!
"I told my son he might be able to get his scooter back from the Cash Converters and the little smile on his face was amazing. I truly thank everyone from the bottom of my heart, from my children and I. I wish I could thank everyone personally. I am so grateful."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
