The 14-year-old schoolboy faints from hunger as he queues at London’s food bank after telling the owner that “his family’s cupboards at home are empty”.
- Earlsfield Foodbank said on Twitter that the boy fainted while waiting for food
- A record number of people are accessing food banks in the UK, a chArity said
- They said an ambulance was called when the boy “hit his head”.
A 14-year-old boy “fainted from hunger” while waiting at a London food bank, the company that runs the charity said.
Earlsfield Foodbank in south-west London tweeted about the incident today, saying the boy’s “cupboards at home were empty”.
According to the Trussell Trust, a record 2.5 million were spent by their network between 2020 and 2021, with the cost of living crisis likely to make matters worse.
A 14-year-old boy “fainted from hunger” while waiting at a London food bank, the company that runs the charity said
The owner of the plaque wrote: “An ambulance was called to the plaque today when a 14-year-old boy passed out and hit his head.
‘He hadn’t eaten for a while. The cupboards at home were empty.
“The level of distress and suffering we are seeing is extreme, it is getting worse and worse every week.”
The owner added: “Big decisions – eating vs. heating, cutting every other meal – have already been made this winter.
“We have already seen children sleeping in coats, people coming to us literally starving with very little support available.
“There is no longer a road to walk. No safety net or pillow available. And after yesterday’s declaration of spring, it’s only going to get a whole lot worse.
“We are desperately concerned about what comes next. Those who have the least are already suffering the most. How can we tolerate that?’
Earlsfield Foodbank in south-west London tweeted about the incident today, saying the boy’s “cupboards at home were empty”
The horrifying tale follows a huge surge in food bank usage across the capital since the onset of the pandemic. From 2020 to 2021, over 420,000 people used a Tafel in London alone – an increase of almost 200,000 on the previous year.
The foodbank owner’s tweet quickly went viral, garnering over 30,000 likes and almost 10,000 retweets. After the reveal, she added: “After this thread, a lot of people have asked how they can help.
“Please write to your MP and ask them to address the root causes of poverty. The wonderful organization @IFAN-UK has created a sample letter. https://www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/write-to-your-mp.’
Finally, she added that the boy was “ok” and is now home and doing well.
