“I am a single mother of three children, aged two, four, and six. With my ex-husband and my father both unwell, I’ve found myself taking on caring responsibilities for several different households.”

Jess never planned to become the glue holding everyone together. Her days begin before sunrise, a toddler tugging at her sleeve, cereal bowls to fill, uniforms to find. By 8 am, she’s already juggled a dozen roles: mother, nurse, cleaner, counsellor, daughter, and provider.

“We’re a very low-income household,” she says quietly. “We can’t afford to do the weekly shop, which is over £100. Using the larder, and sometimes the food bank, we bring it down to about £70 or £80, and that means I can finally afford things like after-school clubs or a birthday treat for my children.”

For Jess, FareShare Midlands and the Towcester Community Larder are not just places to collect food, they’re places that restore hope.

The Team Behind the Lifeline

Katie Steel, Operations Manager at the Towcester Community Larder, remembers how hard things once were.
“We used to have sleepless nights,” she says. “Our biggest worry was whether there’d be enough food for everyone.”

Her colleague, Ian Angus, nods. “Supermarkets were giving us less and less surplus food. FareShare Midlands came in at exactly the right time; we wouldn’t be here without them.”

With the help of food delivered by FareShare Midlands, the larder now serves over 250 members in just two sessions. Shelves once empty now hold fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen meals, and everyday essentials, real food, real nourishment.

Katie adds, “The food is good quality and varied. It’s a no-brainer. FareShare does wonderful work.”

More Than Food

For Jess, that food means more than full plates. It means her children can eat something healthy, something normal. It means she can cook dinner without fear of running out or sending them to school with lunchboxes that make them smile.

FareShare Midlands doesn’t just fight hunger. It restores dignity, one meal at a time.

You Can Help

On a grey Tuesday morning, Jess pushes her trolley through the larder, smiling at the volunteers who’ve come to know her. She picks out what her children love most: apples, pasta, and cereal. For a moment, the anxiety fades.

Because kindness, even in small portions, can fill more than a stomach.

But there are hundreds more families like Jess’s, parents doing their best, children waiting for dinner, communities struggling to keep the shelves full.

Your donation today won’t just buy food; it will buy hope.

Donate now. Help FareShare Midlands fight food poverty with dignity and compassion.

Because no mother should have to choose between feeding her children and keeping the lights on.

Watch the full video here.

Contact Us:
Email: fundraising@faresharemidlands.org.uk
Number: 07943 771206