Home Stories Lauren’s story: my FOOD Club, my safe space

Lauren’s story: my FOOD Club, my safe space

10 March 2025
This article contains subjects that might be triggering for some people
Children & Families Food & Financial Hardship Health & Wellbeing
Story

Lauren* felt isolated after leaving an abusive partner and relocating miles away from her family. Alone with her daughter in a new community she felt stressed about how they would get by day to day. Here she explains how the FOOD Club has meant so much more than weekly supplies. Through volunteering she’s building confidence, found a supportive community in a safe space, and can now look ahead to the future.

 *All names and images have been changed to protect Lauren and her child 

Isolated after abuse

I used to be a really outgoing and talkative person before I had to live in a refuge after leaving my abusive partner, but after being in a community on my own, miles away from my family, I lost all my confidence. It was just me in a house on my own with my daughter and when we’d leave, we’d go to the shops, get the shopping and come straight back.

I was looking for the cheapest thing to buy so we were mostly just eating beans on toast over and over again.

I felt low and stressed and didn’t know how I was getting by day to day.

Lauren*, mum

My health visitor got me a voucher for a food bank as an emergency option, but while I was there, they made me a cup of tea and explained about Family Action’s FOOD Clubs, which offer a package of heavily discounted food to members.

The first time I came to FOOD Club I didn’t have the confidence to walk in the door. Then, the next week, I came back, and I saw it was really busy so, again, I turned around and came home.

I wanted to go in, but I was still nervous, and I didn’t know what was allowed, how to sign up or whether only certain people were allowed, and I wouldn’t qualify. The reason I kept leaving every time I went… I wasn’t embarrassed – I was really nervous.

I was worried that I would be told no, and then I would have to think about how else I was going to feed my daughter.

Finding my community

The following week I was just about to walk out the door again when Patricia* came over and asked if I was ok. She could see I was struggling to get through the door and straight away she was really welcoming. She walked me in and explained how the system worked and who people were, so I didn’t feel on my own.

Using the club made me feel a bit more at ease and took some pressure off. I was like “Wow. This will actually help with our finances”, and it meant I could afford to drive my daughter to her pre-school rather than walking two miles in the freezing cold over winter.  I still remember getting her in and out of the pram… she was just freezing. But she’s such a happy child, and she would say “take me to the babies” – which is what she calls the other children where she goes. I’m going to remind her of this when she’s older and going to school!

Using the club made me feel a bit more at ease and took some pressure off. I was like “Wow. This will actually help with our finances”.

Eating healthy food

With all the ingredients we got from FOOD Club I found I could cook so many different meals for myself and my daughter, and I loved that she was getting a range of food and veg. I also learnt loads of recipes – for example, I can now cook curries from scratch, and my daughter loves them.

The change in my little girl

Her mood’s changed massively now we come to FOOD Club as, like myself, she’s quite shy at first but she’s really bubbly and she likes to come here because the ladies who work here are so lovely and during the school holidays they do lots of arts and crafts stuff.

It wasn’t until I got to know the ladies quite well – a few months in – that I saw a poster about volunteering. My confidence was still really low and, even though he’s in a different city, I was so scared her father was going to turn up and cause a problem with his friends and I don’t want that for everyone else at the club.

Finding a safe space

When it gets busy, I get nervous because he could walk in, but the girls make me feel at ease as they said they’d call the police if anything like that happened, and that I’m safe here.

They all supported me throughout the process of applying and training. It’s always felt like whenever I need somebody to talk to there’s always been someone there to offer me help and support. It’s really nice talking to other adults, because I have nobody else to talk to. I love my daughter, but she doesn’t talk much unless it’s “mummy, put Bluey on”. We watch the same series over and over!

Even though I still feel nervous about volunteering sometimes, I want to be able to get my confidence up to get back to work and I’ve really enjoyed the training.

Looking forward again

Volunteering keeps me upbeat, gets me out of the house and allows me to meet lots of different people. All the people using FOOD Club are different – some speak other languages, some have disabilities, and some have food intolerances, which isn’t something I’ve had experience of before. Helping people with varying challenges is just one of the things I’ve learnt, and I want to learn as much as I can from being here.

I want to do as much upskilling as possible so I can get back to looking toward the future – I just need a job that I can do to support myself and my daughter.

Food, community and dignity

Food banks offer short term emergency support whereas Family Action FOOD Clubs can support households for longer, offering food, community and dignity.

Family Action FOOD Clubs have a membership system, with a very low annual fee. For a small weekly cost, members receive a variety of low-cost fresh food, plus a friendly hub for meeting new people and sharing tips on preparing healthy meals.

FOOD Clubs

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Family Action’s services helped Lauren through a challenging time in her life and there are thousands of mums, just like Lauren, who desperately need your help.

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