Cost of living: 'Christmas is coming but everybody's worried'
- Published
People are worried about Christmas, says Funmilayo Akinriboya
Funmilayo Akinriboya grabs beans, soup and cereal off the food bank shelves.
Every hour the racks of goods become emptier as her team fill food parcels.
"We stock it every week, but the demand has increased, so within a few days everything is gone," she explains.
The 39-year-old from Nigeria runs BME Suffolk, a support group helping local African, Caribbean and Portuguese communities in Ipswich.
"People think those who come here are on benefits, but now it's working people. We used to make 40 food parcels a month. Now we're making 70," she says.
BME Suffolk runs a food bank in Ipswich
Ms Akinriboya distributes staple goods like bread, pasta and milk, but also includes ingredients for different cultures such as blackeye beans, plantain red lentils and chili pepper.
"We have gari - a very popular food - and the best noodles ever. You can fry plantain with egg or cook it with beans, garlic and chilli pepper," she describes.
She adds: "The food needs to be worthy. Everything we give, I eat in my house. We don't give any rubbish food and we take it very seriously."
Ms Akinriboya worries things are getting worse as winter begins.
"Christmas is coming but there's not much excitement because everybody's worried. Some would rather suffer in silence than ask for help. But there is nothing wrong in asking for support."
Alongside the foodbank the charity runs a community cafe and monthly meetings
She says food parcels are a short-term fix and better solutions must be found to tackle root causes of poverty.
"Within the community we serve most people are underemployed. It's not because they can't do the job, but there's just this barrier," she explains.
'We start a journey with them'
The charity worker wants to help people apply for better jobs to boost their income.
"They have the brain, qualifications and are graduates but are busy working in a chicken factory, care job or cleaning - and they want to do better," she adds.
BME Suffolk helps African, Caribbean and Portuguese communities with food donations
BME Suffolk receives dozens of letters thanking the group for its help.
"Thank you for your kindness and consistent help. I appreciate all the goods especially in these times. I look forward to each parcel as the contents remind me of home, Jamaica. As a pensioner it makes me feel not forgotten," one letter says.
Another message reads: "This group really helps me in any way they can. It makes me comfortable. It makes me not alone. It never fails to support us."
"You are such a blessing to us. I'm really grateful for what you've done for me in my time of healing and recovery," a service user writes.
Ms Akinriboya says she is proud to rise to the challenge of supporting local residents in need.
"When people come to you distressed and worried, we start a journey with them. It makes you feel fulfilled that you've made people's life better," she says.
"The smile you see on people's faces, that really matters."
If you are affected by issues raised you can find support through the BBC Action Line.