Cost of living: Bristol food charities see 30% rise in demand

Alex Gummer, Mamas Bristol team member, said she loves to see people's faces when they pick up free food

Charities in Bristol which give surplus food to those in need say there has been a 30% increase in demand this year.

Mamas Bristol runs collection points across the city every night of the week and said it is seeing more people as the cost of living crisis bites.

Team member, Alex Gummer, said: "If someone might not fit in the criteria for food vouchers, they can come here.

"We just don't want the food to go in the bin."

Mamas works with the social responsibility platform Neighbourly, which links them up with supermarkets, allowing them to collect a range of fresh food, that otherwise would go in the bin.

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, has seen an increase in demand for food pickups

Neighbourly CEO, Steve Butterworth, said that after coming out of a pandemic and with the cost of living going up, there has been a 30% increase in people getting support from charities.

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"We've seen a massive increase in the demand and the number of people that these local good causes are supporting," he said.

"That's increased just in this year alone."

Fuel prices were already rising before the war in Ukraine started in February - and the fallout from Russia's invasion has made things worse.

The increased fuel prices will lead to people paying more for food, according to the Federation of Wholesale Distributors.

Michaela and her sons want to reduce food waste

Mamas Bristol was formed in 2018, and has been an ever growing support for anyone with dependants.

Its Facebook group, which is used to tell people what food is available each night, has over 16,900 members.

Michaela comes to the food pick-up with her two sons, Eli and Sol.

"It's about reducing waste and it means we spend less money on our weekly shop," she said.

"Bills are going up, so for the boys and me it just means we spend less every week."

Frankie Hemings comes to pick up food once or twice a week

Frankie Hemings also uses the charity once or twice a week, which she said "really helps her family".

"The cost for everything is going up, so anything like this really helps," she said.

"This is a real treat for me and my family."