Cost of living: Bradford food bank buys in supplies as donations fall

Bradford Central Food Bank relies on public donations to feed some of the city's most vulnerable

Staff at a food bank in West Yorkshire have had to buy in supplies for the first time due to a drop in donations, its manager has said.

Opened in 2011, the church-run Bradford Central Food Bank provides food for about 1,500 people each month.

Manager Josie Barlow said: "Over the last four of five months we've had to buy quite a substantial amount of food so we can keep providing the service."

The cost of living crisis was "touching everybody", Ms Barlow added.

As a result, fewer people were "dropping items into their basket at the end of the aisle" to help food banks, she said.

Josie Barlow, manager of Bradford Central Food Bank, says demand continues to rise even as donations fall

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Ms Barlow said: "Everybody is going to the supermarket and their bills have gone up.

"Basic items like pasta and milk have really gone up, and everyone is feeling that pinch."

Ms Barlow, who joined the food bank five and a half years ago, said until recently her team could rely solely on donated food, avoiding dipping into its reserves.

She said there was a "constant rise" in demand for parcels, with people "struggling to survive".

People who use the Bradford Central Food Bank are referred to it via social services, their GP surgery or job centre.