Thursdays are always bad, but Fridays even more so, usually worse. I mean the queue; it stretches half way around the block and it isn’t even nine o’clock. But the queuers are disciplined. They are following orders. From “above”. Queuing for food has become the “new normal”. Seemingly, we have got used to it. Except that this isn’t a normal queue for food.
Today is Thursday and we have already done our “food queue” activity for the day and now it’s time to drop our haul off. We have just arrived at a food bank in South Manchester. There are already 20 people in this queue for a food bank that doesn’t open for at least 2 hours. Desperate times and desperate people. These are Souls in Isolation. Many but not all were already close to the breadline before the virus that shall not be named existed in it’s current venemous genetic code and then we entered lockdown so now they have now sunk below it. It takes a huge amount of pride to be swallowed just to join this particular queue and a huge amount of resilience to continue to do so for over 2 hours.
Of course there will be hundreds, maybe even thousands of similar situations unfolding across the country. I have a friend not far from here that helps run a food bank. This particular one is situated less than 2 miles from Hale. A fifteen minute jog for most of the stars of Manchester United and Manchester City now also in isolation who live there. A village where even an average four bedroomed property will leave little change from a cool million. It is poverty on the outskirts of Eldorado for some at least.
I get the disparities in society. I grew up on a council estate by a Coking Works remember. A place where many of the former inhabitants have perished due to cancer and a disease which has claimed 2 brothers and both parents so far, with the one remaining sibling finishes his cancer treatment tomorrow.
Today is not about a detailed discussion about why we have such disparities in our own immediate society let alone the huge chasms that exist between ours and that of sub Saharan Africa for example. Its about reminding us who we are and where we have come from. It’s about reminding us that however hard we are finding this right now, there are thousands also in isolation that could just about eat a month ago but now find it difficult to do so. There are others that were fine in February and catagorically are not now.
“Have you brought clothes or food?” asked Tony, one of the volunteers, another “real” hero if you like. “Food.” The big hearty grin quickly morphed into a huge beaming smile. “Thank you” he said. “Dr Hyde sent us, she’s my sister” said my wife. Dr Hyde is a local GP and big supporter of this particular group. She has huge cache in an area more impoverished than most in England. Dr Hyde continues to visit patients in her Hazmat, something only seen in a Sci-Fi movie until a few weeks ago. The same Dr Hyde that once followed David Beckham into a shop to be greeted by “look who it is…..It’s DR HYDE!” by an excited bystander. Much to the amusement of the holder of more than a hundred England caps.
Car emptied, we enjoyed a grand depart last seen when we exited the church after we got married. Arms aloft, volunteers and queue members waving furiously. Wow, just wow.
This food bank saves 3,000 families a month at present. There will be one near you. Make it part of your weekly routine to visit one right now. You will make a huge difference. We are all Chameleons.
