Volunteers sickened by fraudsters pretending to be vulnerable to get 'free food'

[dutchman]

Calls for help were not genuine



Emergency food parcel volunteers have been left 'sickened to the core' by fraudsters pretending to be elderly to get a free meal.

Members of the Guardians of Stubbs' Pool have been out delivering food to vulnerable in and around the Camp Hill community and wider borough since the start of the coronavirus pandemic,

But Sioux Watkins, chair of the volunteer group, was left disgusted when out delivering emergency parcels.

Three households who requested help were not "genuine", she said.

"After taking five referrals from an agency for people in need we prepared parcels, out of the five, three were clearly not genuine," she said.

"We put our lives at risk to take food to the most vulnerable in our community.

"Why would someone pretend to be elderly to get free food in this pandemic, those parcels added another hour to our workload meaning we worked from 7.30am n the morning to 5pm, as a volunteer, placing ourselves at risk from the virus so they could get “something for free” by pretending to be elderly and vulnerable.

"This sickens me to the core."

The group has pledged to continue its good work despite the sickening actions.

Desperate to be able to continue to help, there is an online fund-raising page to help pay for the 'Well in Isolation' programme.

So far more than £1,000 has been raised but donations are being welcomed.

Some of the responses the volunteers have received from those in genuine need of help has left them on the verge of tears.