Coventry food banks' plea for summer holiday donations

Coventry Foodbank founder Gavin Kibble says the organisation has seen donations "plummet" while demand has risen

People are being urged to donate more to Coventry's food banks as donations "plummet" ahead of the summer holidays.

Most children in the city break up on Wednesday and Coventry Foodbank says it is braced for increased demand.

In an average week, the city's 14 food banks currently give out about a tonne of food more than is coming in, founder Gavin Kibble said.

"This year we have seen donations plummet, yet demand for our service has risen exponentially," he added.

"People are no longer in a position to support us in the way they did due to the current cost-of-living crisis."

The food bank, which began in 2011, feeds about 800 people each week and, in its 12 years, has given out more than 100,000 food parcels to more than 250,000 people.

The food bank has had to dip into its reserves to buy extra food to supplement falling donations

Donations have been forecast to drop by about a quarter over the summer, while Mr Kibble said many parents were struggling to put food on the table.

The organisation has used its cash reserves to buy more than 20 tonnes of food to bolster donations.

In May, volunteers were told not to come in for a week due to the lack of donated food to be sorted through.

Volunteers help run the city's food banks