Food bank issues stark warning

A food charity in Ashford is bracing for a surge in demand in the run up to the festive period, as an increasing number of families continue to struggle from the economic effects of Covid-19.

Fareshare Kent, a food redistribution charity, supplies surplus food to 108 charities across the county to places like food banks, school breakfast clubs and homeless shelters.

Volunteers and staff at its warehouse in Foster Road, behind the Ashford Retail Park, have been working hard to keep a steady flow of food going to those most in need throughout the pandemic.

But with an unprecedented level of demand from food charities, the organisation is concerned need is only going to continue rising.

Fareshare provided the equivalent of 81,739 meals per week to charities and community groups in December 2019.

But in October 2020 that number increased by 112% to 171,432 meals per week.

Emma White, warehouse manager at the Ashford premises, said the surge in demand is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

The 36-year-old said: “For us at Fareshare our new normal is sending out double the amount of food we ever have done, and I do not think that will dip.

“It’s a long road to recovery, I don’t see this increasing in need ending any time soon – a third of the charities that we do send the food to have said that they wouldn’t be able to feed people without the food we’re supplying them with.”

At the peak of the crisis, the organisation was providing the equivalent of 309,000 meals to people in need every week.

Since the pandemic hit, a further 33 charities signed up to Fareshare’s service. One cause of the soaring number of people needing support from food charities is job losses.