Food bank appeals for help as shelves sit empty

Fair Frome senior co-ordinator Lenka Grimes said donations have been low all year

A food bank is appealing for donations after posting images on social media of empty shelves.

Fair Frome said it is experiencing high demand as families who have struggled to get through the summer are now relying on them for food.

People responded to the post with donations, but the charity said it still needs more.

As well as food, the Somerset food bank said it also needs toiletries like shampoo and toothpaste.

The food bank has seen a drop in donations since January

Lenka Grimes is the senior co-ordinator at Fair Frome, an independent charity which runs the food bank, she said they have a good supply of dry pasta and some cereal, but very little else.

She said the end of the school holidays is a particularly tough time of year, as parents "have really struggled having children at home for six weeks".

However, this year she said donations have been decreasing since January.

"Those that normally would donate, they are also struggling now with the rising cost of living," Ms Grimes said.

Fair Frome is also calling for toiletries to be donated

The drop in supplies prompted her to share images of the centre's bare shelves on social media.

She said she was "really pleased" with the response as the next day saw people dropping off donations.

But she said when people arrived to collect food, they were still "really struggling to fill the parcels".

Fair Frome has also heard from people concerned about the scrapping of the winter fuel payment for all but the poorest pensioners.

Ms Grimes said: "People are already talking about it and they're worried, and we've actually seen an increase in older people coming to the food bank."

The charity is asking those who want to help to download the Bank the Food app, where they can keep track of exactly what products are needed.