As prices rise and everyone makes cuts back I have a daily worry about my little business and whether it will survive. When fuel and energy and essentials sky rocket, the luxuries in life have to be the first to take a back seat. I start to question my purpose, and whether I'll be able to pay my own bills, cover the unexpected and my future. Is what I do worthwhile? Do I need to go and get a "real" job, slogging away for "the man".
And then I get a message from Widnes Foodbank. They're looking for a photographer to capture some images to help them publicise themselves, spread the word, celebrate all the good they do and get themselves on your radar so when you're doing your weekly shop you'll pop a few extra's in your trolley to donate to them.
It's a no brainer- I volunteer my time to visit two of their Widnes sites and capture some images of what they do- the volunteers sorting, and weighing, and packing the donations. The facilities, what they have, what they need, what they do. It's humbling to think that as some are weighing up whether they "cutback" by holidaying in the UK rather than the Maldives this year, others are deciding whether they eat or turn the heating on today.
Exploring the facilities I'm struck by the work that goes in to providing this essential service and the hard work and dedication of the wonderful, friendly, and selfless volunteers. There's half empty crates of tinned goods, sparsely populated shelves of baby food, meagre collections of fresh fruit and vege. There's just not enough, but what there is is made the most of in the most positive way.
I know my contribution isn't much in the big scheme of things, but it really is true that every little thing we can do to help others accumulates in to something much much bigger than all of us, so whether you can give your time as a volunteer, a monetary donation or a tin of beans it really is worthwhile. You can even check out what they are most in need of here.
We can't control what life throws at us, the situations we find ourselves in, but we can control our responses, so lets choose to help where we can.
For more info about the Widnes Food Bank and how we can all help check out their website here https://widnesfoodbank.org.uk/
