'We had to tell a new mum our foodbank had a waiting list... she burst into tears'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A mum ‘burst into tears’ after being told she'd have to go on a food bank waiting list in order to feed her newborn baby. The foodbank charity is now backing calls after the government was urged to double maternity pay this week, amid concerns mothers were resorting to 'dire' measures to keep their children fed.

A new study, by the trade union Unison and the charity Maternity Action, found that over a quarter of new mums had ‘skipped meals’ - with some ‘brushing their teeth’ to beat hunger cravings.

A local food bank in Barlow Moor, has witnessed this desperation first-hand. Jen Savaris, founder of Perry’s Pantry, said: "A mum with a newborn and child asked to be on the pantry list but at the time we were so overwhelmed with clients we’d had to enforce a waiting list. Try MEN Premium now for FREE...

just click here to give it a go. “When I explained this to her she immediately burst into tears. I felt awful. I signposted her to an emergency food bank provider and had the list cleared in a week so we could support her.” In a new report released this week, campaigners urged the government to double maternity pay, worrying that some mothers are returning to work prematurely due to the inadequacy of the current pay.