‘It’s dehumanising, horrible’: the food bank volunteer living on the breadline

Ben says he is ‘fairly privileged’, as for many it is no longer a question of heating or eating because they cannot afford either

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When you are on the breadline there’s always this fear at the back of your mind, says Ben. “You are constantly thinking: have I got enough to cover even the normal everyday basics? You get stuck in a cycle, living at this level of subsistence; it’s dehumanising, horrible.”

Ben, 39, is a former hospitality worker who lives in Warrington. A recovering alcoholic, he has been claiming universal credit for a year. It is hard, he says, but he reckons it is far worse for many other people: “In a sense, I’m in a fairly privileged situation,” he says.