Demand at local food banks keeps on rising

The Devizes Food Bank, which has branch operations in Pewsey and Marlborough and covers the villages too, has reported that demand for its emergency food boxes grew dramatically during 2013-2014 – and keeps on increasing.

The food bank is affiliated to the Salibsury-based Trussell Trust and run with a Christian ethos. Their annual general meeting was addressed by Devizes MP Claire Perry.

The statistics announced at the AGM show that demand has almost doubled in the past year – see charts below. The number of family food boxes given out was up 91 per cent and those for single people went up by 62 per cent.

People coming to the food bank for boxes are referred by various agencies and each recipient can only get three boxes.  The three most frequent crises that force people to ask for emergency food boxes are low income (25 per cent), benefit cuts (22 per cent) and benefit delay (29 per cent.)

Mrs Perry told the meeting she was glad that food banks existed as there will always be families in crisis.  And she claimed that 92 per cent of benefits were now paid on time.

The food bank’s co-ordinator, Alan Beamish, told Marlborough News Online that the main reason people gave for needing food boxes was the delay in starting to receive benefits.  From the day someone loses their job it can sometimes take three months till they receive their first benefit payment.

In Marlborough collections of donated food are made at the permanent point at Tesco’s Salisbury Road store and at ad hoc collections at Waitrose – the latest there was last Saturday (May 24.)

In Devizes Gaiger Brothers gives rent free space to store the food and local firm DS Smith Packaging provides the boxes free of charge.

The food bank needs not just food but money to support its work.  Tesco has a scheme under which they work out the value of food donated in their store and give the food bank 30 per cent of that value in cash.

Last year the Devizes food bank raised £14,000 and with annual expenditure of £8,802 they now have money to develop their work. They may buy a car to make deliveries easier.  Or they may branch out into some other support service such as debt counselling.

They already have one new service.  The Natural Childbirth Trust has donated ten bags of baby equipment and clothes which the food bank has started handing out to pregnant women or mothers with new babies who are in need.

Each bag is filled with essentials like nappies and a large amount of nearly new clothing, and is designed for either a boy or girl baby and a specific age.  It also includes information about help and support services.  That really is early and constructive intervention.

Alan Beamish is at Christchurch, on the New Road, with emergency boxes every Friday between 1000 am and noon.