A MOTHER of three has confessed she was struggling to put food on the table until she found out about an essential money-saving service - and now she even manages to put money into savings.
Laura Maggs, 39 from Hertfordshire and her partner found themselves struggling after they both caught Covid during the pandemic.
The former school care provider said: “We were on a low income to begin with, but things really took a turn for the worse after the pandemic.”
During the lockdowns, Laura’s family had to separate to try and shield the most vulnerable in the family.
This meant her partner Ryan a personal fitness coach had to stay with his parents, while Laura stayed with their two kids.
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Even once the pandemic ended Laura and Ryan both found themselves struggling with long Covid.
Laura eventually had to leave her job as a school worker and Ryan was unable to start back as a fitness instructor because of poor health.
Like many other families, Laura and Ryan struggled to afford essentials like paying for food and bills.
“Everything went up. Even though things were bad during the pandemic it was after the lockdowns ended that things were tough.”
“A lot of people were able to go back to work as normal, but that wasn’t the case for me and Ryan.”
Mum Laura said on tough days she and Ryan considered skipping meals so their children could eat.
She said: “I felt a lot of guilt and shame. You get in an emotional rut where you start questioning everything.”
Laura also fell pregnant during the lockdowns which meant one more mouth to feed.
A fellow mum and friend told Laura about The Bread and Butter mobile food club and the essential service that has kept food on Laura's table.
Laura said: “Without The Bread and Butter Thing we'd be in very big trouble, we would be in difficult a position where every decision would need to be totted up against rewards and have to spread food further.”
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“The money I was able to save on food I could put towards rising bills and didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table.
“It was a lifesaver.”
Attending the food club allowed Laura to allocate more money than she would normally spend on food to her electricity and gas bill – which helped her get back on her feet financially.
How does The Bread and Butter Thing work?
Anyone who attends The Bread and Butter Thing for help with food will be given three bags of food and essentials for £8.50.
Each bag is split into food groups. One bag will be fruit and vegetables, and another will be ambient cupboard staples like tins, jars, sweet treats, coffee, cereal and bread.
The third bag will hold refrigerated items such as milk, cheese vegetables, meat and ready meals.
The value of the three shopping bags handed out changes depending on the week and hub someone attends but on average each bag is worth £35.
Laura says: “The stock we get sent varies day to day, some days we have whole chickens and meat joints on other days we’ve had speciality cheese.”
Laura and her family are now settled in a housing trust property.
She said: “We love where we are now, the children are happy with school as well.”
Laura says on tough months she still uses The Bread and Butter Thing.
“We still use the TBBT whenever I need to top up on essentials. It brings out monthly food costs down dramatically.”
Laura says the food that The Bread and Butter Thing provides is part of all the meals in her household.
“The TBBT is always somewhere in our dinners and lunches even if it's just something from tins as part of the sauce, or snacks for the kids during the day.”
She hopes that five to ten years from now she and her family will have a house of their own somewhere in the country.
“Our long-term goal is to move to the country and get a farmhouse - I’m not sure when that will be but I’m staying positive. "
Laura says she’d always recommend The Bread and Butter Thing to anyone who is struggling.
“I would recommend The Bread and Butter Thing to anyone. There’s a horrible stigma attached to those struggling.”
“It's not always the case that people aren’t working hard enough but often they just need a bit of a helping hand.”
The mum of three has also started volunteering at The Bread and Butter Thing to help build back her strength.
What is the Bread and Butter Thing?
The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) club is a national charity operating food clubs in 120 locations across the country.
TBBT delivers healthy, low-cost, nutritious food, to around 80,000 members, equating to approximately 15 million meals a year.
TBBT’s food is directly sourced from manufacturers and the majority of supermarket retailers including Sainsbury’s.
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