Being a single mom is tough: it is like being on a constant emotional and financial rollercoaster. You have to be a great parent and at the same time, you are responsible for fulfilling your family’s basic needs: shelter and food.

We tend to take life conveniences for granted, assuming that such a simple thing as food is always available. However, some people can’t agree with that!

Single mother went hungry for a week. One mother from Liverpool shared her heartbreaking story with ECHO, telling how much she struggled to feed her kids, going for a whole week without eating a morsel. The single mom of four said:

I was paying bills and had almost no money left to go shopping. The eviction was threatened against me. With four children, ensuring I had a place to live became more important than eating well. Many people were moved by her story and decided to support ECHO through the charity program Share Your Lunch.

The mother was left alone with four children, two of whom had autism and required special care. She struggled to find money to meet her children’s basic needs after her partner abandoned her with them. However, the problems continued to pile up, and at times she refused to eat for a week so that her children could eat!

The single mother was depressed and broken, as she felt desperate to have any help. When family support workers came, they found no food in her home, so the woman had to lie:

She literally went through my cupboards and there was nothing there. She asked me when my shopping was coming and I lied – telling her my home delivery was six hours late. I did admit to it in the end. But I didn’t have anything – nothing whatsoever.

She added that the situation got even worse around the holidays, especially at Christmas. When other kids receive gifts, she is terrified that her own would be bullied by others for being so poor.

Then, the mother started using food banks. Watching her children having a good lunch was heartwarming! Mothers sacrifice many things to give children a decent life. But sometimes it can be really hard.

How many families are going through the same thing? We will do everything in our power to assist people in such situations. Everyone has the right to food and shelter.

A small step toward assisting struggling families can mean the world to them. If you know a family in need and you can assist them, please do so. Even small steps can make a big difference in the world.