'We want struggling people to have enough food'

Miranda Wixon said some people in rural areas did not come forward to say they needed help

Volunteers who help run food schemes for those in need say they have seen demand increasing.

Inflation remains near a 40-year high, although the rate at which prices are rising has dropped back slightly, according to the latest figures.

One scheme in Northamptonshire, run by the Hope Centre charity, provides food deliveries and community larders for 2,000 people in rural communities.

Miranda Wixon, a volunteer at the charity, said: "We want to reach out to everybody that is struggling through this cost-of-living crisis to make sure they have food."

The former nurse said those in rural areas were "very often proud and don’t come forward" when they had financial problems.

"Rural communities have traditionally hidden a lot of the people that are suffering with hardship," she said.

Ms Wixon added she had met elderly ladies who were eating "a tin of soup for two days".

'A massive difference'

Peter Duffy said food deliveries allowed him to eat well

One of the people who receives deliveries from the scheme is Peter Duffy in Brixworth.

Mr Duffy had Covid-19 during the first lockdown in 2020 and said he had suffered from long Covid ever since.

The 54-year-old said he had "chronic fatigue, brain fog" and was often "unable to function".

He described the service as "invaluable", and said that without the food deliveries "I wouldn't eat as well".

"It’s improved my finances, I'm not so worried about the heating, it’s made such a massive difference to me," he said.

"To have it delivered, it saves me a lot of energy and allows me to do other things."

'Nice to help people'

Volunteer Michael Bennett said he wanted to help his local community in Northampton

Michael Bennett volunteers at two food clubs in Northampton to help those in need.

He changed his rota at his supermarket job in order to help out, with his employer also providing food and financial donations.

The 55-year-old said he worked on the schemes "to help the local community".

"When I started about four years ago we were [helping] about 15 to 20 people a week and now were [helping] 30 to 40 families," he said.

Donations were able to keep up with demand, he added, but "if there is a shortage of something [in shops] we run out of things really quickly".