A helping hand at North West Foodbank

With little sign of the recession ending any time soon families are finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet. Wages, for those who do have a job, are not keeping up with rising prices and for those on benefits – well, it’s never been tougher and with more reforms in the pipeline it’s going to get tougher still.

One sign of this is the growing dependency on foodbanks – for some families it’s become the only way to put food on the table. Figures released by The Trussell Trust show that the current economic climate is seeing many more people struggle to put food on the table, including families who are in work. Over 45,000 children were fed by foodbanks in 2011-12, while the numbers of adults and children fed nationwide increased from 61,468 in 2010-11 to 128,697 in 2011-12.

For many foodbank clients, the rising cost of food and fuel combined with static incomes, high unemployment and changes to benefits have forced them into a crisis where they cannot afford to eat.

The latest addition to the growing number of foodbanks opened recently – in Edinburgh North West. 

How do foodbanks work? Foodbanks operate through food donated at ‘Supermarket Collections’.  Foodbank volunteers engage shoppers at supermarkets and give them a ‘foodbank shopping list’, asking them to buy an extra item with their regular shop, which is then donated to the foodbank. Schools, churches, businesses and individuals also donate non-perishable, in-date food to the foodbank – all food given out by foodbanks is donated.

Once collected, the food is sorted by volunteers who check it’s in date and pack it into boxes ready to be given to people in need. Care professionals – doctors, health visitors, social workers, Citizens Advice Bureau staff, welfare officers, the police and probation officers, amongst others – identify people in crisis and issue them with a foodbank voucher.

Foodbank clients bring their voucher to a foodbank centre where it can be exchanged for three days supply of emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a cup of tea or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem.

Like many organisations in this cash-straitened times, foodbanks rely on the generosity of volunteers. How you can help? Your gifts of time, funds or food could help stop local people going hungry – and there are lots of ways you can help. For further information see the Edinburgh North West Foodbank website at:

http://edinburghnw.foodbank.org.uk

The Edinburgh NW Foodbank is now open.

Crisis food packs with a referral from frontline care agencies and charities only.

For enquiries, please telephone 0131 202 9130

Email: info@edinburghnw.foodbank.org.uk