This is Tom. He is driven by a core principle of giving back. And he does this in every aspect of his life. At Middlewich and District Food Bank we have hugely benefited from Tom’s incredible generosity, as each year for the past three years, Tom has bought, wrapped and donated Christmas gifts for ten’s of children who have received a Christmas food parcel from us, this year outdoing himself with 41 gifts! This is all due to a promise Tom made to himself when he was a teenager, that as soon as he was in a position to give back, he would.
At the age of 13, Tom’s world was turned upside down. His parents were separating, leaving his dad a single parent to three children all in their teenage years. Now in his late twenties, Tom says he still remembers vividly that six month period of his life. A time when there was a genuine choice between heating the house and having food. A time when his father, who was hit hard by the divorce, was so proud, he couldn’t bring himself to ask for help. A time Tom describes as being “so tough”. Tom’s school was completely unaware, so he wasn’t receiving free school meals or support from teachers. A time that felt hopeless.
Thankfully, Tom’s dad did eventually seek help from his local food bank. A big step for him and his family. The food bank in Ellesmere Port offered more than just the food they needed, they gave access to their entire network, they offered support with mental as well as physical health, enabling the family back on their feet. They even worked with Tom’s school to help ensure “he could just be a kid” accessing the funds needed for Tom to go on the school trip, just like the other children. During this time, Tom and his 15 year old sister and 11 year old brother all learned to cook, they appreciated food like never before and Tom says it made him feel that “food is a privilege”.
Since leaving school, Tom has gone on to study astrophysics at university and now works for a large software firm in the financial sector, but he has never forgotten that time and it is what continues to drive him to be the charitable, inspiring person he is today.
“If I had told my 14 year old self what I would be doing now, I would have thought it was a pipe dream.” And yet, here he is, making other people’s dreams come true. Our hero, thank you Tom.
