Susan’s Story

For safeguarding reasons Susan’s name has been changed.

Susan looked nervous on her first visit to The Olive Branch. Small and slim, with a fixed smile on her face she explained her situation apologetically and then said something we hear often… “I never thought I’d need to use a food bank.” Nearing sixty she had worked her whole life and found herself struggling financially and emotionally when she lost her job.

She was overwhelmingly grateful for the food parcel, admitting “I used to donate to the food bank when I went shopping." She gazed at a painting of the cross on our wall and said “I don’t think I’ll be going to heaven. But I always loved that footprints poem- do you know the one?” We talked further and she shed quite a few tears that afternoon.

On her second visit Susan seemed a bit more upbeat. We even shared a few laughs along with the coffee and cake. On leaving she tried to lift her bags of food, but then stopped to hand a few items back. “I won’t be able to carry these heavy bags all the way home, it’s quite a walk” she explained.

So, we carried her bags across the road to the train station and paid for a taxi to take her home. More grateful tears flowed.

A couple of days later we received a card which read “To the lovely people at The Olive Branch…” It was a thank you card from Susan and inside was some money to repay her taxi fare - something we never expect. She visited The Olive Branch just three times in total but left with friends.