Disabled Mum Set Up Food Store In Spare Bedroom!

I’m Pip, a disabled mum living in Acklam, Middlesborough. A few weeks ago, I signed into my supermarkets website to book my usually weekly food delivery, something I’ve done for years. But there wasn’t any home delivery slots, and hasn’t been since. I worried about how my disabled friends and I would get the food needed each week to feed our families, but without putting ourselves at risk of contracting covid19. There are so many people effected that are disabled, housebound, elderly or have health conditions. The safest place to be, for those that are high risk, is at home, but for those without the support of friends and families to do their shopping, there was no option than to go out - until now! I came up with the idea of a pop up food store, ordering food in bulk from wholesalers, splitting down and delivering parcels to vulnerable high risk families all over teesside. Being high risk, I can’t leave my home, so we quickly set to work, dismantling furniture and emptying our spare room. This was to become the pop up store room and was later named PIPSCO by one of our families. We recruited volunteers, administrators, delivery drivers and shoppers to help us with our mission. PIPSCO is already a life line to many families on Teesside, reliably delivering food with no contact each week. Every item coming in from suppliers & supermarkets are decontaminated before coming in to my home. Ordered items are then sealed into boxes that go out to our families doorsteps. We need your help to grow this community project. To help pay for costs, fuel and extension. But also to help provide food for families shielding and self isolating that maybe have had to take unpaid carers leave, that have fallen through the cracks and are in financial difficulty. We want to start delivering free emergency food parcels to those vulnerable people in our community. Which we can’t do without the vital fundraising taking place. I’m just a disabled mum, but with the help of volunteers we have become an amazing community project, helping so many families through a devastating time. To follow updates, please do follow my Facebook page: ‘Pip - Disabled Mum’ Thank you for your support Pip xx _____________________________________________________ A bit about me: I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic condition that has led to a lot of health issues. I’m in Gastro failure, my blood pressure is so low often faint, I have Chiari Malformation which effects my memory, speech, oxygen levels, vision and conscious levels. I do worry, each time I find myself heading into an unconscious episode whether this will be the last time. Every time I wake up I’m so thankful that I’m still here, through my amazing support workers/nurses I live a full and happy life at home with my son, Harrison and Husband, John. A few years ago, before Harrison blessed our lives, I felt I have lost everything due to my disability and health. I lost my carer (Royal Navy, then Nursing), I lost my volunteering when I got to sick, which then went on to the lost of my self confidence and happiness. I was admitted into a mental health hospital, and diagnosed with severe depression. After a few months hiding from the world, I gave myself 6 months to turn things around. I opened my business Pip & Harrisons Bear Boutique, and started to volunteer. Through volunteering, I’ve met so many new and lovely people, and it gave me the self confidence and motivation I needed. Since then I’ve been involved in many volunteer projects. Sometimes it’s hard to get through each day with my failing body, but volunteering and helping other people gives me the strength to carry on. No matter what your ability, there is always a volunteer project In need of your help. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I do know, that we will only get through this pandemic together, as a team, standing united. Thank you for reading! Thank you for supporting, donating and/or sharing our project. Every donation and share will help us reach more families on Teesside. Please do follow my Facebook page ‘Pip - Disabled Mum ‘ for updates! Thank you Pip xxx