When Helen’s neighbour first mentioned Olio, it came at just the right time.
Life had suddenly changed. Helen’s husband John had suffered a massive heart attack, followed by a triple cardiac arrest and a bleed on the brain – spending three months in the hospital.
But the miracle recovery brought new challenges – John couldn’t return to work and was made redundant. With Helen on a state pension and John still years away from his, money suddenly became tight.
“His income suddenly dropped to a benefit which didn’t give us much left after paying the bills for food or any needed extras.”
Her neighbour, a fellow Olio-er, suggested she give the app a try.
“I was a little hesitant. But I decided to give it a go.”
With her neighbour beside her for that first visit, Helen placed her first requests for some veg and went along to collect them. That’s when she met Emma – at her garden wall, alongside Emma’s two beautiful large dogs. Helen’s a dog lover, so naturally, they got on well.
Next time she went to collect food from Emma, Helen brought a jar of homemade rhubarb jam as a thank you.
Emma was delighted – and messaged to say what a treat it had been – then asked if Helen would like a root from her rhubarb patch. It had been grown from her grandfather’s plant.
Emma dug up part of the root herself and told Helen exactly how to plant it at home. Helen nurtured it through the winter, covering it against the frost.
“Now I have a lovely healthy patch of my own. I feel privileged to have this, as it has gone through the generations of her family. I will have rhubarb for years to come – friends, and some of the older people who live near me who I give my jam to, will benefit and enjoy this as well.”
She’s been on Olio for over 500 days now (and counting). She collects from six fellow Olio-ers regularly, turning up every now and then with a jar of homemade jam as a thank you – rhubarb, rhubarb and ginger, whatever the season offers.
The connections she’s made through the app have grown into something she didn’t expect.
“I’ve gained not just fellow Olio-er friends – we’re a little family of friends who help each other, and the family keeps increasing.”
What does Olio mean to you?
“A sense of relief and restored faith in humanity. Food that would have otherwise gone to waste now fills my fridge and cupboards, at a time when we need it most.”