Food hub at De Mont delivers its last meals

THOUSANDS HELPED BY SUPPORT

A FOOD bank supporting 12,000 vulnerable people during lockdown in Leicester has served its last meals.

The government-funded emergency food hub at De Montfort Hall has been running since March, using some of the £3.7 million hardship fund for Leicester to deliver 21,000 food parcels all around the city.

However, the government has now said that, despite the ongoing pandemic, shielding is no longer necessary in Leicester. The food hub delivered its last meals on Friday.

Anyone in need of further help can still contact Leicester City Council to get assistance.

The hub was only for those classed as “clinically extremely vulnerable” and was manned by staff from De Montfort Hall, which has been closed for productions since the pandemic hit.

The hall will be able to revert to its usual role from next week.

City mayor Peter Soulsby said: “I’d like to thank all the city council staff who worked so hard to make sure that no one in Leicester went without food or other essential items when they had no other way to get hold of supplies.

“Over the past six months, these food parcels have supported thousands of elderly people and vulnerable families as they shielded from the virus, helping to make life a little bit easier for them during such a difficult time.

“Although the government has now paused the formal shielding programme, anyone who finds themselves in genuine crisis can still contact us on our dedicated crisis support e-mail address, which will continue to operate for the foreseeable future.”

The £3.7 million of hardship funding from the government has also been used to give additional council tax support to low-income households and assist those facing financial hardship, including help with fuel costs.

The city council’s dedicated crisis support e-mail address – below – can still be used by anyone who finds themselves in an immediate and unexpected crisis situation.

Anyone worried about a vulnerable or elderly neighbour can also use the e-mail address to get help for them.

The council’s crisis support team can be contacted on 0116 454 1019.

Information about the restrictions that are in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus can be found at: