{"id":4198,"date":"2025-06-30T07:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T07:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/?p=4198"},"modified":"2025-07-01T08:44:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T08:44:30","slug":"from-isolation-to-connection-how-olio-helped-lauras-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/olio-stories\/from-isolation-to-connection-how-olio-helped-lauras-family\/","title":{"rendered":"From isolation to connection \u2013 how Olio helped Laura\u2019s family feel at home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Laura from Hertfordshire<\/strong> moved to a new town in January with her husband and three young children, everything felt new  and a little uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They didn\u2019t know a soul in the area. Their new home, mid-renovation, was bare after saying goodbye to the built-in furniture in their old house. Money was tight. The living room had just a sofa and dining table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for a way to furnish their space without spending, Laura searched online for free furniture \u2013 and that\u2019s how she found Olio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started by requesting a TV cabinet, a side table and a storage unit. It also helped me get to know the area \u2013 even if I did take a few wrong turns along the way!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still adjusting to the move, Laura felt a strong desire to contribute to her new community. She soon signed up as a Food Waste Hero<\/a> \u2013 and started rescuing surplus  food each Saturday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Olio\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Each week, as she left the house at 9.45pm, her daughter would wish her luck and say she hoped it would be \u201ca good one.\u201d <\/em>The next morning, the pair would relist any food items still available and get everything neatly organised for people to collect throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura\u2019s daughter, now nine, had been through more than most children her age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At three, she was diagnosed with nine tumours in her bowel. Doctors removed some, but she continues to undergo annual colonoscopies under general anaesthetic. Understandably, the impact on her confidence was significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe went from being a smiley, happy, carefree child to quiet, shy and fearful. We tried everything \u2013 Go Ape, ice skating, letting her order her own food in caf\u00e9s \u2013 but nothing really helped.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until Olio<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, each Sunday morning, her daughter helps organise the rescued food. She sorts it into boxes, arranges it neatly, and proudly helps her mum get everything ready for neighbours coming to collect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She now also\u00a0 talks to other neighbours and tells them about the app. Explains why it exists and how to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s probably your best Olio advocate out there. And she\u2019s asked me, \u2018Can I do Olio when I\u2019m older, Mummy?\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a family new to the area, Olio has helped them put down roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne woman who used to collect from me is now a close friend \u2013 we go to a children\u2019s group together. It\u2019s amazing how sharing food has brought people into our lives.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Olio\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What began as a way to furnish a home became the foundation for something far more meaningful for Laura\u2019s family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had the intention of wanting to integrate and become valued members of our new community, but weren’t entirely sure how we could go about this. Olio has enabled this to happen via building and developing our relationships with our church and neighbours.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you love most about Olio?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOlio means the world to us \u2013 it\u2019s literally helping our world by reusing and recycling. It\u2019s saved so much from landfill, it\u2019s developed wonderful relationships and friendships for us, it\u2019s allowed us to give something back to a community that warmly welcomed us with open arms us with open arms and we are eternally grateful to Olio for all of the wonderful opportunities and adventures that it has provided so far.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Laura from Hertfordshire moved to a new town in January with her husband and three young children, everything felt…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":3958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[21,22,19,20],"class_list":["post-4198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-olio-stories","tag-community","tag-free","tag-olio","tag-volunteering"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom isolation to connection \u2013 how Olio helped Laura\u2019s family feel at home - Olio | At Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Laura moved to a new town with her young family, Olio helped them furnish their home for free and connect with neighbours.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/olio-stories\/from-isolation-to-connection-how-olio-helped-lauras-family\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From isolation to connection \u2013 how Olio helped Laura\u2019s family feel at home - 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