The Slow Newsletter: Energy rebate guilt and what to do about it

Good afternoon and welcome back to the Slow Newsletter.

We will all be receiving a ￡400 rebate against our energy bills – universally applied, irrespective of circumstance.?

Means tested rebate should have been the answer –?but we are where we are.

Some of us don’t need this and feel a level of guilt or uneasiness in receiving it at a time when so many others are suffering.

If like me you know people who need the ￡400 more than you do, I’d like to ask you to consider donating some or all of your rebate to Family Action .

As a Vice Patron, it is an organisation close to my heart. I have witnessed the immense impact Family Action has in supporting families facing tough times. They provide practical, effective help including welfare and crisis grants, FOOD Clubs, a national helpline for families – FamilyLine – and on-the-ground support through around 200 services across the country.?

Family Action’s frontline teams are reporting awful situations for families across the country.

“For a young family like mine who often struggles to get through week to week, knowing we are collecting this box is a real relief”
–?FOOD Club User        

Mothers are diluting baby formula because they can’t afford enough to get them through the week. Some parents are skipping meals to make sure their children have enough to eat. Families are refusing some foods from the charity’s FOOD clubs because it needs to be cooked and they can’t afford the cost of gas or electricity to do that.?

The advantage of the 57 FOOD Clubs Family Action delivers is that they have staff on the spot who can help with other family needs as well as providing access to affordable, nutritious food. They can direct the family that can’t afford the gas or electricity to cook their food towards the grants team, for example, or connect isolated families with others in the community.

Meanwhile, the Family Action grants service provides small cash grants using a holistic approach, whereby the grant is delivered in conjunction with intensive support to the family. Combining a relatively small cash investment with support has a very significant impact on the grant recipient – the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

For 153 years Family Action has been there for families in need with practical interventions like FOOD clubs and grants. These are the most challenging circumstances that the charity has seen for some years. Will you join me in passing on your energy rebate to those that need it the most? ￡400, or any amount you are able to give, could be life-changing. Do donate here .

All the best,

Katie