City food bank under pressure as demand for support rises

IT HAS HAD TO TURN PEOPLE AWAY

SHORTAGES at a Hull food bank could see its operations become unsustainable if a spike in demand continues, a manager said.

Liam Woods, of Unity in Community which runs the Endike Lane food bank, said they had already had to turn people away after user numbers climbed to up to 65 a week. He added life for them was harder than it had ever been in the 25-year history of the food bank.

His comments follow those of Hull North MP Diana Johnson, who raised the food bank’s plight in Parliament last week. The Labour

MP said: “Demand at the food bank is soaring, it’s a left behind community so donations are suffering and every week they are cleaned out of the stock that they have.

“Things are only going to get worse, it seems to me.”

It comes as Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled another package of measures designed to help ease the burden of price spikes on households on Thursday.

The £15bn package includes £650 one-off payments to the 8 million most vulnerable households in the UK and upping the October energy discount to £400, removing requirements to pay it back.

Unity in Community figures show user numbers have climbed from 35 a week before the pandemic struck in March 2020 to between 55 and 65 since lockdowns were lifted. Mr Woods said demand had been steadily increasing since April last year and stock levels meant it could only prepare 40 to 45 parcels.

He added tinned food such as beans, long life milk and rice were in especially short supply but donations of any items would be welcome.

He said: “The current crisis is really alarming. At the current rate our food bank will not be sustainable in the coming weeks or months as we are having to turn people away when we run out of food.

“At present we get a weekly delivery from our fantastic partners Fareshare Hull and Humber and Real Aid, alongside a collection of food from Farmfoods each week. There is no particular pattern in the people coming to us, formerly we used to have just locals from the immediate area attend when in need.

“Now we see people from all over the city who are working or unemployed. The current cost of living crisis pushes these people further into debt and away from living a healthy, happier life.

“Unity in Community have been around for 25 years, and life has never been as challenging as it is right now for our communities.”