A mum who says she is constantly living in her overdraft lost two stone in just six weeks after prioritising feeding her children when she lost her job.
Kelly Young, from Partick in Glasgow, faced unemployment in December 2021 and was left struggling to feed her four children as well as keeping up with rent payments.
The 41-year-old wanted to make sure her children had enough to eat and so she went without, causing her to lose a drastic amount of weight quickly.
Kelly has relied on food parcels from community groups (AFP via Getty Images)Since then, she has managed to find a new job as a cleaner and received support from the local community after being referred to Annexe Communities.
Kelly said: "I now have a job as a cleaner and am working hard to support my family as best I can.
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"I have always been a believer in being able to help yourself, but when you are in such a deep hole it's impossible.
"It took a lot for me to swallow my pride and admit that I needed help for me and my family but the truth of it is that I am out working and I still can't manage. Pay day becomes pay away day and I am constantly living on my overdraft – it's a never-ending cycle."
Annexe Communities, which provides emergency provisions to local people and households in Partick, recently received an award of £23,500 from the National Lottery Community Fund, where £1.5 million will distributed to 73 groups to help with the increase in living costs.
As well as distributing food vouchers, clothing vouchers and energy top-ups, the group will now be able to run a soup social and provide soup packs with all the relevant ingredients needed for people to make their favourite soups at home.
Over the last year, Annexe Communities has been there for Kelly, providing advice, food parcels and fuel vouchers.
Kelly continued: "That's why places like the Annexe are so important right now, they keep in contact with me and it's good to know that people are there for me and that it's a safe place for me to come and not sit in my house, stressed and isolated."
Kate Still, Scotland chair at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: "This latest round of funding is just one of the ways our National Lottery funding is being distributed to organisations who will directly support people and communities facing very difficult circumstances.
"Local charities and community groups are fully aware what's going on right now in their local areas and are therefore best placed to deliver this support quickly, so there’s no delay with providing people with the help they so desperately need.
"It's all thanks to National Lottery players that they can continue this vital work."
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