Food banks say demand is rising as donations drop

Two food banks in Somerset have said an increase in demand coupled with a drop in donations is having a huge impact

A woman who uses a food bank said she would not be able to eat without the services they provide.

Alison Pope from Chard, Somerset goes to the Lord's Larder food bank in the town twice a month and said it is a massive help.

But two food charities in Somerset have said a drop in donations and a surge in demand for produce is having a huge impact on their operations.

The Lord's Larder provides weekly food parcels to 40 families but has said demand is rising every year and is already 28% higher than this time last year.

Alison Pope said the Lord's Larder food bank in Chard has been a massive help

The volunteer-run food bank said demand had quadrupled since 2016 but food and financial donations had decreased.

Volunteer Alex Mayfield said: "We're buying in significant amounts of food. Our expenses have gone up massively because the need has gone up and our donations have dropped."

Similarly Clare Walsh, who runs the West Somerset Food Cupboard, said there had recently been a 10% drop in donations and a 10% increase in demand.

The project started out of a broom cupboard in 2007 but now has 40 volunteers and works with 30 agencies to deliver food across West Somerset.

The Lord's Larder say the usage of the food bank is up 28% compared to last year

The West Somerset Food Cupboard has also received an uptick in requests for gluten-free, dairy-free and meat-free produce.

Ms Walsh attributed this growth to the increased volume of people using the food bank.

She said running the food bank is a "24 hour a day, 7 day a week operation that never stops".

"We've seen demand going up over several months, everything's more expensive and that is going to impact families," she added.

Both food banks also said demand had expanded to include nappies, sanitary products, basic toiletries and pet food.