Food bank forced to spend more as donations fall

Liz Bird said she would never stop offering food parcels, but they might have to be scaled back

A food bank has had to increase the amount it spends to top up food parcels after seeing donations halve in recent months.

Liz Bird, who runs Bridgnorth Foodbank, said in some weeks the volunteers were having to go to the shops and spend up to £1,000 to get the extra items.

She said she understood the rising cost of living was having an impact and she was looking for other sources of funding.

She also said the food bank, which was established in 2013, would "never" stop offering aid, but might have to "stop doing certain things if we haven't got the funding".

Keith Bowley, the food bank's treasurer, said he went out twice a week to buy items to supplement the parcels, including fresh produce, and he had previously been spending between £400 and £500 a week.

That had increased to between £700 to £800 a week he said, but in some weeks it was as high as £1,000.

"Hopefully that will decrease as donations of food increase again," he said.

A typical food parcel offered by the food bank includes items worth £40 for a single person, ranging to £70 for a family of four.

In recent months the situation has been made worse by an increase in the number of people seeking help.

Ms Bird said: "It does cost a lot of money to run a food bank, people don't realise how much it costs."