She works full-time for the NHS. She raises three children on her own. She has never told a single person what she's about to tell you.
Emma - not her real name - used Renfrewshire Foodbank seven times last year. She works for the NHS and is a single mum. After leaving an abusive relationship, she found herself choosing between petrol to get to work and food for her children when her ex-partner stopped paying child maintenance overnight.
"I'd lost my house. I'd lost everything. I was starting from scratch - on my own, with three children. I needed petrol just to get to work. But I was having to choose between that and food. I just kept thinking: I cannot believe I am having to borrow money for food. I cannot believe this is my life."
Her children never knew. She made sure of that. "My children never knew. They just knew they were fed. And that's all that mattered."
Emma came to Renfrewshire Foodbank not knowing what to expect. She left with food, fresh fruit and vegetables, sanitary products and toiletries - things she hadn't thought to ask for. Expert advisors were on hand to help her fight for the child maintenance she was owed. There is now over £12,000 in arrears, and she is still fighting.
She has never spoken about this publicly before. She has agreed to share her story - anonymously - as Renfrewshire Foodbank launches its Summer Appeal 2026, because she wants people to understand something she thinks is widely misunderstood.
"I have never told anyone I used a foodbank. Because I know people are judgemental. They assume you're scrounging. But the truth is, you never know what's going to happen. Food prices rise. You might lose your job. I lost my house. I lost everything. It could happen to anyone. It could happen to you."
Emma's experience is far from isolated. In 2025, Renfrewshire Foodbank distributed 10,798 food parcels to 1,856 households across the area - nearly double the average for Scottish foodbanks. It received 5,429 referrals. Almost a third of the households it supported had children.
Rising costs of essentials was the single biggest reason for referral, accounting for four in ten of all referrals - the same financial pressure that brought Emma through the door. This summer, the charity is warning that the school holidays make an already acute situation worse. When schools close, free school meals disappear overnight. Food costs rise. Donations fall.
For families already at their limit, summer can tip a difficult situation into a crisis. Linda Kelly, CEO of Renfrewshire Foodbank, said: "Emma's story is one we hear in different forms almost every week. Someone who was managing - until they weren't.
"What makes it remarkable is that she's willing to tell it, because she knows how many people suffer in silence out of shame. There is no shame in needing help. That's what we're here for. And this summer, we need Renfrewshire to be here for us."
The charity is asking for financial donations - however big or small - to give individuals, couples and families the dignity of knowing their children won't go hungry. Every pound donated stays in Renfrewshire.
Give now at rfb-summer-appeal-2026.raiselysite.com
Share