A teen schoolboy was rushed to hospital after passing out from hunger while waiting for his turn at a London food bank, it has been reported.
The 14-year-old lad was waiting for a food package at the Earlsfield Food Bank in Wandsworth, south-west London, according to the facility's owner.
The boy, who hasn't been identified, was rushed to hospital after fainting and hitting his head, My London reports.
The manager of the food bank took to Twitter to share the harrowing moment she saw the boy fall to the floor.
She wrote: “Today at the food bank 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."
They 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 food bank 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 food bank manager'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 “okay”, and was now at home and doing well.
