Woman volunteers at the Blackpool foodbank that helped her

Yunus MullaNorth West, BlackpoolBBCLisa Parkinson has been volunteering for three-and-a-half years for the Huge Meals Undertaking in BlackpoolA lady who started volunteering at a foodbank that “obtained us by means of a really troublesome time” says it’s her means of “giving again”.Lisa Parkinson began working for the Huge Meals Undertaking in Blackpool after utilizing the service when she was identified with stage three breast most cancers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.She stated her husband gave up his job to take care of her they usually had two kids who couldn’t go to high school golf equipment as they had been isolating. “Issues grew to become fairly troublesome as a result of we nonetheless had payments to pay.”The venture is a redistributor of surplus meals from supermarkets and producers to 125 foodbanks, faculties, neighborhood kitchens, disaster companies and households throughout Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre.Thought ‘they’re going to choose me’Founder Neil Reid stated the service put out 17,600 meals from its warehouse final week.Ms Parkinson works from Blackpool FC on a Tuesday, the place she stated the charity provides 50 to 60 households every week.She stated she began visiting the membership venue as a foodbank person when she got here out of isolation for her most cancers remedy. “I assumed, ‘I do not wish to have to do that,’ considering they’re going to choose me, all people shall be considering, ‘oh, she does nothing’.”However they made me really feel so welcome, invited me in, we had a cup of tea and I relaxed as a result of there’s a stigma about utilizing foodbanks.””The benefit of the meals venture is that you just pay £8 however you get 4 baggage, so it was a tremendous service as a result of we felt like we had been paying for it, however getting much more than if we went to the grocery store,” she stated.Ms Parkinson says individuals inform her the service is a “lifesaver”Ms Parkinson, who has been most cancers free for 5 years, stated the venture “helped us quite a bit. It was superb”.”It was 100% there for us once we want it,” she stated. “It was onerous sufficient going by means of all of the remedy in addition to having two kids, it was an enormous, huge assist and it obtained us by means of a really troublesome time.”She stated it makes her “unhappy” to see people who find themselves working full-time, or pensioners struggling to pay for meals.”Individuals will say to us ‘oh, it is a lifesaver’,” she stated. “And even somebody we gave tea baggage to stated ‘I’ve not had a cup of tea for every week now, I could not justify paying for tea baggage for myself ‘.”I do know persons are nonetheless on this state of affairs these days and it is actually a tragic time.”They get excited over a bottle of shampoo or a bottle of good bathe gel.She stated she had been volunteering on the venture for three-and-a-half years, which “is my means of giving again, they helped me by means of a really darkish time, and now I really feel as if it is my time to have the ability to assist and provides again”.Hearken to the most effective of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and comply with BBC Lancashire on Fb, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. It’s also possible to ship story concepts by way of Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.