SOUTHEND FOOD BANK SPENDING £10K PER MONTH TO MEET INCREASED NEED
Southend Food Bank revealed it is now spending £10,000+ per month on food to help those in need, as donations have plummeted. It is appealing for the community to download the BanktheFood app to help increase donations.
Since January 2023, the number of people turning to the food bank for emergency food support has risen 61%, compared to the same period last year (January – October 2022) in Southend in Essex.
As the cost of living continues to rise and food prices increase, many are struggling to afford essentials. Southend Food Bank provides three meals a day for three days to those in need of emergency food support, and it is reliant on food donations from the public to make up more than 1600 emergency food parcels per month.
Natasha Copus of Southend Food Bank said: “The increase in the number of people referred to the services has meant we’ve had to purchase extra food every month now. Need continues to grow at an alarming rate while donations have gradually dropped. Although we apply for grants to help with running costs, we are now spending more each month than we raise, and this is not sustainable.”
“We try to provide basic meals for all those facing hunger, but the increased costs and drop in donations have put a significant strain on our resources. Even staple items we usually have in reserve, such as dried pasta and baked beans, have been depleted. In previous years, we would spend around £5000 over the whole year to top up food supplies, and that was around Christmas time. We usually buy special items to make up a Christmas hamper, but we won’t be able to do that this year. We’ve slimmed down what goes into our food parcels to the very, very basics but still ensure a nutritionally balanced amount of food for three days.”
Southend Food Bank is appealing for donations via the BanktheFood app, which enables users to see exactly what’s needed and pings users a list as they enter the local supermarket. “Together, we can solve hunger.”
Emma Spring, founder of BanktheFood, said: “No one should have to worry about where their next meal will come from. We know from our conversations with food banks that Southend are not the only organisation using their cash donations to pay for food, money that would normally be used to pay for utilities. It would be wonderful if the local community really stepped up to support their local community and download the BanktheFood app to see what’s urgently needed.”
BanktheFood has 44,000 donors using the app, supporting more than 420 food banks nationwide. The app is completely free for food banks to use and free to subscribe to. BanktheFood is a registered charity run by a small team of volunteers. To make a financial donation to BanktheFood, visit https://www.bankthefood.org
The BanktheFood app is free to download and can help ensure nobody goes to bed hungry. For more information, visit www.bankthefood.org. If you don’t use apps, you can use BanktheFood online at https://bankthefood.org/App
