Increased food prices have inevitably put a strain on people’s finances.
So we are supporting customers who are experiencing financial hardship with grants and e-vouchers to ensure they have access to a balanced and nutritious diet.
One of our customers has three children under the age of six and their food bill had spiralled since schools shut.
Having paid for their food using a credit card, we supported this customer with a Tesco e-voucher.
One of our self-employed customers with children was left struggling financially after lockdown prevented them from working.
We were able to support the family with a one-off grant for food as well as providing signposting and advice for them to access other benefits they are entitled to.
One of our customers is a single parent of three young children and found it difficult to provide home schooling during lockdown.
The customer found out about our grant programme on Facebook and was awarded a grant for shopping vouchers to buy essential food for the family as well as well as some arts and crafts, which were well received by the children.
The customer said: “I am so very grateful to have this house as our home which has a private, secure back garden which means everything.
“The help and support from LiveWest has been truly invaluable. It has been a huge relief to have help with my shopping.
“LiveWest have really gone above and beyond and stepped up when you didn’t have to.
“It has really restored my faith in humanity.”
When the government announced lockdown, we set about making more than 15,000 welfare calls to ensure our vulnerable customers were safe and well.
One of those calls identified an older customer who was self-isolating with their daughter in a remote rural location. Due to illness, the daughter was unable to go out shopping or order online.
So we delivered some shopping to the customer before signposting them to a community organisation who were able to help moving forwards.
Another customer waiting for their first Universal Credit payment was struggling to buy food. So we supported by delivering some fresh fruit and vegetables to the family.
One of our customers who was released from hospital after recovering from Covid-19 had no money for food. We issued an e-voucher and a local volunteer delivered some food to their house.
We provided an emergency food delivery for a customer who had been furloughed and not received any money in order to ensure they had access to essential items.
We also provided a food voucher for a single mum who had not received any vouchers for school meals due to an error with her email address.
Apply for an access to food grant here.
Please note, the grants we offer are subject to change. To find out what grants are currently available, visit our Grants page.