Full-time workers are turning to food banks amid cost of living crisis

"It's 2025. It shouldn't be like this"

According to a Sky News report, the Cannock Chase community in Staffordshire recently helped each other out with free produce at a local food table.

Rebecca Flynn, who not only manages an office but also sells cosmetics and homeware at the weekends, claimed her household would be "living on bread" if she hadn't turned up.

"I'm earning pretty decent money, but it's not enough," she said. "There's nothing more I can do. Unless I win the lottery or get another job.

"It should be noticed that people are in this state. Local councils, local governments, they need to see what's going on, come to ground level. It's 2025. It shouldn't be like this."

Adding further context to this dire situation, Alex Chapman - co-founder of the Norton Canes Community Food Table - went on to reveal that a third of food bank users have steady full-time jobs.

"It's mad that you're working a good job and you think you'd be able to afford everything and go on holiday and everything like that, but in reality they're struggling to put food on the table," he noted.

"We're seeing a massive increase in the people that are using the food table. We see them in their work outfits. Professionals, nurses - you don't expect them to be struggling because they're working full-time. People who aren't working - you expect them to be struggling. But it's across the board."

Also speaking to the news outlet was mum-of-two Louise Schwartz, who keeps three jobs (that's 50 hours per week) and is married to a successful estate agent. They collectively earn £80,000.

Referring to the financial hellhole we're all living in right now, she lamented the fact they couldn't go on holiday as a family this summer.

"It makes me feel sad for my kids, more than anything, that we can't give them a week away," began Louise. "We have food on the table, we've got heating, we've got cars to drive. But there are definitely some luxuries that we've cut back on recently.

"We don't do expensive supermarkets. We don't do expensive brands. We do whatever's on offer for that particular week. I think a lot of people might not be surprised by that because I think people are probably in a similar position but maybe we just don't talk about it."