A dad who lost his job revealed he ate one meal a day in order to save money to be able to feed his son and partner.
The father has set up a fundraiser to help him raise money so he can go back into to construction work, saying that he doesn't "want much, but I want anything better than this."
Wayne, 38, has spoken up about the time he "cried the first time" as he went to the food bank, and having to eat one meal a day amid the cost of living crisis.
The dad, who lives in Thurrock, Essex, with his partner, 32, and 12-year-old son, lost his job in construction as a hod carrier in November 2022 after the company he worked for downsized from a "team of 48 to a team of 22".
Following this devastating news, he felt that had “nothing left”, after being forced to sell off belongings and pawn valuable jewellery just for a bit of cash.
And losing his job in November last year has had serious consequences for the family.
The impact of only having his partner work part-time in childcare has meant that Wayne has accumulated over £2,000 worth of debt, being forced to sell off some of his valuable belongings after being handed an eviction notice.
On being forced out of work and how that affected his family in the run-up to Christmas, the dad said: “I went in to work one day on a Wednesday and around half the team lost their jobs – we went from a team of 48 to a team of 22.
“I worked there for eight/nine years, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.
“As I lost my job in the first week of November and my (12-year-old) son’s birthday was at the end of November and Christmas was coming up, it was a hard time to lose a job.
“Christmas was really bad to be honest because we could not give our son all the presents he wanted, but he was quite understanding.”
The 38-year-old added that when he had “nothing left”, he was advised to use a food bank.
While he was left feeling uncertain over whether the family should go due to the 'embarrassment', he has since visited twice.
Wayne said: “My partner was quite hesitant because we were not putting stuff in, we were taking from it.
“When I went, it was hard to swallow.
“I think I cried the first time I went, I felt quite embarrassed as I thought: ‘Really, I’ve got to this stage?'”
However, the hardest part amid the ongoing cost of living crisis for Wayne and his family has been the fact that he has not known where his next meal is coming from.
He revealed that he sacrificed eating in order to make sure his son ate properly.
The dad said: “It’s just the simple things really, like worrying about where the next meal was coming from because the food banks are handy, but they don’t supply an actual meal – it helps with the meals, but just still constantly worry about when and where the next lot of food is coming from.
“I regularly have only one meal a day – one week, I had toast for a week straight, for dinner.
“I would make sure my son ate three meals a day and my partner because I’m not working, so I think I don’t deserve to eat as much as the others as he is going to school and my partner is going to work so they need the energy, and I have lost three stone in the past two months.
“We also had no heating for three weeks because we could not afford it.”
The dad has now accumulated over £2,000 worth of debt due to not having a job since last year, explaining: “The council have been quite understanding as I am without a job, but it is a debt that I will have to pay back. It is still hanging over my head."
In order to do so, he has also had to sell a computer, TV and “jewellery that has been handed down to me just to get a bit of money” and was given an eviction notice in the second week of November, which led to further stress for the family.
Accessing help has been hard for the family Wayne has admitted, but he has praised his local council for their help in getting the family though one of the toughest times.
He said: “It’s been really hard. I have been helped by a woman called Heidi at Thurrock Council. She put me through to Beam and has helped me throughout the whole process.
“She put me through to the food bank and she bought me a Christmas hamper so I could eat on Christmas Day, but the last two months have definitely been a struggle.”
Since creating a Beam account - a crowdfunding platform - the dad has raised just a little under £600 in just eight days in order to help him get back to work.
The funds are to be used to pay for items including his Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, a laptop to complete his training and apply for jobs and safety boots.
“I didn’t expect the money to be raised so quickly by roughly 30 people,” he added.
“It just shows that even though there is a crisis going on, people are still willing to help. It’s a nice feeling and hopefully when I am back on my feet I can do the same for someone else.
“I could not really ask for help or money from friends or family as everyone is struggling with the cost of living right now.”
If you wish to donate to the fundraiser, you can do so here.
