Birmingham Live has reported on a series of heartbreaking stories of families who are struggling to manage during the cost of living crisis

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Energy bills have rocketed by hundreds of pounds. Food, petrol, council tax - it's all costing more. So it's little wonder the worst-off, many of whom were already struggling before the cost of living crisis, are barely getting by.

In this time of crisis, more and more desperate families are turning to food banks, including parents working full-time jobs. But this surge in demand is having a knock-on effect. Food banks are running low of supplies and struggling to keep their shelves stocked as they bid to support as many hungry people as possible.

Some food banks have had to cut their opening hours so they can stock up on supplies. If these vital centres don't have enough food or can't open, it might mean a hungry family doesn't eat that day. That's why we have launched a campaign calling on people across the West Midlands to support our food banks through food and cash donations.

READ MORE: Cost of living crisis forcing desperate Brummies to 'eat or heat' - this is where you can get help

Over the last few months, BirminghamLive has reported on the heart breaking real-life stories of desperate people struggling to get by and with worry constantly hanging over them about how they will feed their kids and pay their bills.

There are too many examples to list here, but here are just eight reasons why our #FoodSOS campaign is so important:

Thousands of people across Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull are struggling as the cost of living crisis hits hard. Those already on the breadline are being crushed by a combination of rising energy, food and fuel bills.

On the food frontline, campaigners and charities are reporting record levels of demand and need while donations are drying up. Pensioners, the working poor, young parents trying to hold families together and vulnerable individuals in supported housing and hostels are among those facing a bleak summer.

But together we can make a difference.

We have joined forces with the Active Wellbeing Society who help coordinate the brilliant network of foodbanks, food pantries, community projects, pay-as-you-feel cafes, faith and civic organisations offering free or cheap food in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull.

Together we have declared a #FoodSOS.

Local councils, social services and schools are doing what they can to help the most in need. Government payments, rebates and grants are helping some. But there is still a desperate shortfall.

You can GIVE HELP in three ways.

Donate your MONEY through the community JustGiving collection. Every penny will go to the food frontline to fund food and essential items

Donate FOOD to your nearest community food operation

Donate your TIME by volunteering to help out at foodbanks, gather food, cook or serve customers at cafes, or distribute parcels. If you're a community group or corporate organisation wanting to sign up together, please get in touch.

If you NEED HELP please click on the #FoodSOS map to find your nearest location.

Thank you. Together we can make a difference. #FoodSOS

Nicola Johnson told how she was worried about how she would ensure her 11-year-old son, who has cystic fibrosis, had enough to eat in the face of rocketing food bills. Most people with the disease don't absorb nutrients from food properly so need to eat more calories to avoid malnutrition.

And Nicola, from Birmingham, told how she was just making sure son George had enough to eat while skipping meals and only eating scraps herself. The worried mum said: "Our kids need a high calorie diet, they need about a third more calories than people without cystic fibrosis. We can’t cut back on the food that George needs because he's still underweight.

“So George is getting a good meal every day and the rest of us are getting the scraps. It’s almost turning the clock back to the times where the man of the family would get a good meal while the rest of the family would share what’s left."

BirminghamLive recently visited a food bank in Sparkhill, the area of Birmingham which has the most benefits claimants, to see how people were coping with soaring bills. James Loveridge, 38, revealed he had considered taking his own life because of his struggles, while Scott Watts, 39 openly admitted he might have to resort to crime to get by.

He said: "I come here, otherwise I'll end up not eating. It's unbelievable. I've never been through so much hardship in my life." Andy Anderson, 55, said: "I'm really struggling to be honest. It's going to be hard. In an ideal world we wouldn't need food banks but the cost of living has skyrocketed so there's not a lot we can do."

Alan Ward added bluntly: "It's either come down here or go hungry."

Young mum-of-two Emma Reynolds told how her kids were having to live in coats and dressing gowns inside her freezing cold and damp Kings Norton flat.

We reported earlier this year how Emma, three-year-old son Lewis and daughter Leah, eight, spend day and night wrapped up under extra layers in "horrible" living conditions.

Mum-of-two Sarah Shilton, from Bloxwich, told us during the height of winter how she was trying not to turn the heating on whenever possible and had stopped driving because petrol is too expensive. "We live in an older building so it's quite draughty. We have a thermal covering in front of the door and an oil heater in the hall.

"Me and my three-year-old just put our dressing gowns on or an extra jumper. I turn the heating on but if I can get away with it I try not to. I close the curtains to keep the air in and when cooking I don't open the window."

Marianne Kiely, 59, said she didn't know how she was going to manage when rising bills hit when BirminghamLive spoke to her at a food bank in Willenhall in February.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to survive to be perfectly honest," she admitted. "I had a sanction on my benefits. I should have had full payment but I've only had half of what I'm entitled to so I'm having to live without gas and electric on the meter. It's been a horrendous few months."

Chris Moss, 63, from Willenhall, worked as a roofer for 40 years but fell on hard times when he had to give up working for health reasons. "I don't have (the heating) on. The fire will go on in the morning on two bars but that's it," he said in February when it was still freezing cold.

"I lie on the sofa with a quilt on. No part of the house is heated. The bedroom is freezing. That's the way I've got to do it, I can't have it on. It's the way of life."

Gary Kendall, from Bournville, told a similar story. He said in March: "Energy bills are rising, food is rising but nothing else is going up to counteract it. Sometimes it comes down to either eating or being warm - I have to weigh it up.

"If there’s enough food in the cupboards then I’ll top up my gas or electric. The future is a worry and not just for me. There are loads of people who will struggle as energy bills go up."

Some Brummies also told us how the cost of living crisis meant they had resorted to ditching their cars because they were costing them too much to run. Mum-of-four Ruth Cumming, from Bournville, said she gave up her car and saved £1,500.

She said: "My brother had spent nearly £100 on the tank of fuel the other day, I’m so glad I don’t have to do that, I don’t know where I’d find that money."

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