Grant proposed for Derbyshire food banks due to low donations

The grant will cover expenses including food and staffing

A £400,000 grant for food banks has been proposed by a council as charities struggle with low levels of donations.

Derbyshire County Council says in a report food banks are also experiencing difficulties recruiting volunteers.

The grant for Foundation Derbyshire will be used to cover food, volunteer and staffing expenses, as well as fixtures and fittings and fuel costs.

Councillor Carol Hart, cabinet member for health and communities, says hopefully it will help a lot of people.

The report says: "Local intelligence indicates that food banks are struggling to get or keep volunteers and that donations have reduced both from individuals and supermarkets as a result of ongoing cost of living pressures."

The grant will be discussed at a Derbyshire County Council cabinet meeting on Thursday

Ms Hart added: "With Covid then going into the cost of living, everything seems to have gone up and people are still struggling.

"There are all sort of reasons people go to food banks and we want to make sure we can help them."

The cash would come from a Covid response government fund called Contain Outbreak Management Funding and will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The report said the council had provided a series of grants to Foundation Derbyshire - the operating name for independent charity Derbyshire Community Foundation - totalling £850,000 to support food banks, since March 2020.