A food parcel can solve one very immediate problem.

There's nothing in the cupboard.

But what happens a week later?

Or a month later?

If the reason somebody needed emergency food hasn't changed, chances are the problem hasn't disappeared either.

That's the gap Peterborough charity Mary’s Child is trying to work on.

The crisis is often just the beginning

People can end up needing help for all sorts of reasons.

A bill they couldn't absorb.

A relationship breaking down.

Losing work.

Benefits changing or being delayed.

Debt.

Or simply reaching the point where the money coming in no longer covers what's going out.

When that happens, food may be the most urgent problem.

But it isn't necessarily the biggest one.

Mary’s Child says its work goes beyond handing somebody a parcel and sending them on their way.

The charity provides support through its community cafés and other services, with the aim of helping people deal with some of the problems sitting behind the immediate crisis.

Sometimes people need somewhere to start

This part is easy to underestimate.

When several things have gone wrong at once, even working out who to ask for help can become difficult.

You might have a money problem, a housing problem and a family problem all at the same time.

Which one do you sort first?

Mary’s Child can help people look at what's going on and find a route forward, including signposting to other organisations where that's the better answer.

And sometimes what somebody needs most at the beginning is simply a place where they can walk through the door and talk to another human being.

Then comes the longer-term bit

This is where the charity's approach gets interesting.

Mary’s Child also works with people on skills, confidence and routes towards greater independence.

Because if somebody is repeatedly reaching crisis point, another emergency parcel may help today without changing what happens next month.

That doesn't mean every difficult situation has a quick fix.

Of course it doesn't.

But there is a big difference between:

“Here's something to get you through tonight.”

and:

“Now let's see if we can stop you ending up back here.”

Ideally, people need both.

Help before everything falls apart

There's another point worth making.

You don't necessarily have to wait until the fridge is empty and the electricity is about to go off before asking for help.

In fact, earlier can be better.

If money is starting to run short, bills are piling up or life is beginning to feel unmanageable, getting advice before it becomes an emergency can give you more options.

And there is no prize for struggling on your own until everything finally collapses.

This isn't just about food

That's probably the easiest way to understand what Mary’s Child is trying to do.

Food can be the reason somebody first comes through the door.

But behind that parcel might be debt, unemployment, isolation, family difficulties or simply somebody who's had one bad thing happen after another.

A bag of groceries won't solve all of that.

It can, however, be the beginning of a conversation that does more.

And perhaps that's the better question to ask when we talk about emergency support in Peterborough.

Not just:

“Did somebody get fed today?”

But:

“What might help them need less emergency help tomorrow?”