Sam Faiers broke down in tears after an emotional day helping pack and deliver food parcels on Thursday’s episode of The Mummy Diaries.
The TV star, 29, spent some time at the Epsom and Ewell foodbank where she was shocked to learn more people have been asking for help during lockdown.
During the visit, Sam delivered food to a mum-of-three who gave birth just two days before lockdown started and had been unable to leave the house for groceries as she was shielding with her son, six, who has spina bifida.
Emotional: Sam Faiers broke down in tears after an emotional day helping pack and deliver food parcels on Thursday’s episode of The Mummy Diaries
After spending the day with the charity, Sam told Paul the experience was ‘such an eye-opener’ and it’s made her want to re-evaluate how their own family uses food.
Sam said: ‘I just can’t get my head round it… You’d would never think people can’t afford food. How as a country are we in a position where people are going hungry?’
Tearing up in their kitchen, Sam said: ‘There were a few times I wanted to burst into tears, she’s [Courtney, the mum she met while volunteering] one person out of thousands of mouths to feed, it really touched me.
‘When she asked how lockdown had been for me, I didn’t want to answer. Courtney’s outlook, I’ve never met anybody like her. It was really humbling meeting someone like her, she’s still got a smile on face. She’s incredible.
‘Eye-opening’: The reality star was shocked to discover the high level of demand for help in her local area
‘Speaking with John [the charity’s manager], he was saying how we’re living in such a rich area and the numbers are so high, it’s frightening… just one extra bag of shopping and you can feed a family of four for a week…
‘What we spend on food a week is frighting compared to what these families are living off. Today made me think about how I’ll do things differently.’
During her visit Sam met with the foodbank charity’s manager John who gave her a tour of the building and introduced her to other volunteers.
He explained how last year they distributed 55 tonnes of food, but in just the first six months of 2020 have already handed out 60 tonnes.
Tears: Sam ‘I just can’t get my head round it.. You’d would never think people can’t afford food. How as a country are we in a position where people are going hungry?’
Amazing: Sam met mum-of-three Courtney and her six-year-old son Jason when she delivered food to their doorstep
Sam said: ‘I was shocked at the figures, it really hit home and it makes me feel quite sad.’
While there, Sam helped pack up some parcels for a female client who had three children, including a baby who was born during the coronavirus pandemic.
One special request from the client was ‘treats for the kids’, which made mother-of-two Sam ‘feel really emotional’ as her own ‘kids get treats all day everyday’.
Sam then went with John to deliver the food to the mum, called Courtney, and got to learn a little more about how the mother had been coping in lockdown.
Inspiring: Courtney told Sam she gave birth just two days before lockdown started and had been unable to leave the house for groceries in lockdown as she was shielding with her son who has spina bifida
Learning: Charity manager John explained how last year the foodbank distributed 55 tonnes of food, but in just the first six months of 2020 have already handed out 60 tonnes
Courtney explained how her youngest child was now four and a half months old and was born two days before lockdown so she’s not had any access to a health visitor.
She added that her son Jason, six, also has spina bifida so they’d not had any access to his healthcare providers either.
Courtney explained that the family had to go into the national shielding scheme so couldn’t go outside for all of lockdown.
Requests: Sam was shown how Courtney had requested ‘treats’ for the kids in her parcel
This meant they’ve really depending on the foodbank charity for bringing supplies to their home.
Despite her tough time, Courtney – who also has a nine-year-old daughter- was thinking of others as she said: ‘I do worry about other mums who’ve had their first baby in lockdown and not had any help.’
Sam was touched by the mum’s selfless thinking, telling her ‘I can’t believe you’re thinking that when you’ve done all this yourself.’
Changes: After her emotional day, Sam said she what her own family spends ‘on food a week is frighting’ and that the experience had made her ‘think about how I’ll do things differently’