Woman who grew food for families struggling with cost of living crisis has garden ruined in attack
Carly Burd says someone "jumped over in the night and put salt all over the land" - meaning the fruit and vegetables she was growing for people scrambling to make ends meet will now be destroyed.
Wednesday 12 April 2023 15:35, UK
A woman who transformed her garden into an allotment to help feed families struggling with the cost of living crisis says she is "heartbroken" after it was ruined in a sabotage attack.
Carly Burd was growing fruit and vegetables as part of her 'A Meal on Me With Love' initiative to help those on benefits, low-paid earners and pensioners.
Boxes given out through the scheme are filled with essentials such as organic fruit and vegetables that Ms Burd grew in her garden.
But she posted a video on TikTok that showed the garden had been scattered with salt, which causes plants to dehydrate and which she said would mean the food would now not grow.
'Heartbroken'
A tearful Ms Burd said she was "absolutely heartbroken."
"Someone's jumped over in the night and put salt all over the land," she said.
"That means everything I've planted won't grow and I can't replant on it because it won't grow.
"So all the hours and hours of work that we've put in is now dead and they've done it everywhere."
Ms Burd showed viewers the salt left on the soil.
"How could you do that?," she said.
"Do you know what? You won't stop me because I'll just pick it all up and I'll carry on... you won't stop me whatsoever."
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A GoFundMe fundraising page run by Ms Burd says she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus - and therefore understands how hard it is for people during the cost of living crisis.
She wrote: "I'm on disability, so I have to keep the cost down.
"I can't sit back & watch people struggle; not being able to feed their kids or go without food so they can have the heating on.
"Last year I went without heating, having MS with no heating is horrific. Why are we left to live like this?"
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Ms Burd said she funded everything herself but that she tried to get companies to help.
She is now asking people to donate on her page to help those who need it most.
"What I raise goes straight back into 'a meal on me'," she said.
"I'd love to be able to raise enough to get the things I need to make a difference to others' lives."
Ms Burd also asked people to donate money towards items needed to make a tea and coffee area, equipment such as a petrol strimmer to clear weeds and a cooking area using gas.
"The more I raise, the more things I'm able to get to make this work. Please donate and give me a hand," she added.
Ms Burd said she had helped feed more than 1,000 so far people during the cost of living crisis.