Meet Cecilia Oyebanji, one of Norwood and Brixton Foodbank’s much-valued clients

Cecillia is just one of the many people who benefit from the support and advice that Norwood and Brixton foodbank has to offer.

When Cecilia was hit with a huge and unexpected phone bill by her mobile provider, she had no idea how she would pay it and found herself in debt.

She said “O2 sent me a bill of £78 for one month, and I told them that I can’t pay the money. That bill was for August, then they sent another bill for £68 for September. I told them that I’m disabled and receiving money from the government for food.”

“I have health problems, which are high blood pressure, diabetes, and back pain. I can’t walk properly.”

Cecilia was referred to the food bank and Christians Against Poverty through Citizens Advice Bureau. Not only did we help her with managing her bills, reducing the monthly payment to £10, but we helped Cecilia find different accommodation.

Cecilia’s council house is on the second floor, which means she has to use the stairs to get up and down every day. For someone with her health problems this is unsustainable, and using the stairs so often has caused her to fall over.

The food bank put her in touch with Pete Elliott from the Brixton Advice Centre, and from there she was able to secure new accommodation which she will be moving into very soon. On top of this, the food bank has helped Cecilia get money from her state pension and attendance allowance thanks to the help of Dina from the Brixton Advice Centre and our Foodbank sign-posting officer, Sophie.

“The food bank always supply food to my house because of my condition. I can’t carry anything. So they will send food to me. So I’m very, very grateful for their help” says Cecilia. “When I visit the food bank I always leave with a smile”.

To find out how you can support the food bank and help them continue to deliver vital help like this, please visit https://norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org.uk/give-help.

If you need help or advice like Cecila, you can visit our Get Help page where you’ll find lots of contact information – https://norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org.uk/get-help/how-to-get-help.

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