Boy, 14, rushed to hospital after ‘passing out from hunger’ while at London foodbank

A 14-year-old boy reportedly fainted from hunger while waiting for food at a southwest London food bank, the food bank’s owner has said. The boy was rushed to hospital after he passed out and hit his head.

The owner of Earlsfield Foodbank in Wandsworth, south west London took to Twitter to share the harrowing moment she saw the boy faint to the floor. She posted: “Today at the foodbank an ambulance was called, as a 14 year old fainted and hit his head. He hadn’t eaten for a while. The cupboards at home were empty.

“The levels of hardship and suffering we’re seeing are extreme, every week it gets worse and worse.”

READ MORE: Food bank use ‘still well above pre-pandemic level’

The owner added: “Stark choices – eating vs heating, cutting every other meal – have already been made this winter. We’ve already seen children sleeping in coats, people coming to us literally starving, with very little support available.

“There is no road left to run. No safety net or cushion available. And after yesterday’s spring statement, it will only get much worse.We are desperately worried about what comes next. Those who have the least are already suffering the most. How can we tolerate this?”

The horrifying story follows a huge increase in foodbank use across the Capital since the pandemic hit. From 2020 to 2021, over 420,000 people used a foodbank in London alone – which is an increase of nearly 200,000 from the year before.

The foodbank owner’s tweet quickly went viral, amassing over 30,000 likes and nearly 10,000 retweets. Following the exposure, she added: “Following this thread, lots of people have asked how they can help.

“Please write to your MP asking them to address the root causes of poverty. The wonderful @IFAN_UK organisation have produced a template letter. https://www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/write-to-your-mp .”

Finally, she added that the boy was “ok”, and was now at home and doing well.

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https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/boy-14-rushed-hospital-after-23507094

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