This is a genuine question. I come from a very poor childhood and have had periods of being very poor myself. In any thread about someone struggling, people always say ask at your local church for help.
I have never known anyone who was not a regular churchgoer or an obviously needy family e.g. family very poor because single parent has terminal cancer, get any help from a church in the UK.
Some of my local churches run foodbank that you need a referral for. And if you were street homeless I am sure if you knocked they would give you a sandwich. But there are lots of people who don't have enough money to put the heating on, struggle to feed themselves and their families and so eat a lot of toast, etc.
So if someone like this who was not known, turned up at their local church would they really get help with their heating bills? Because I simply can't see it happening. Even the Christmas toy appeals are distributed through things like Barnardos, not simply given to a poor family that turn up at the church door.