Coventry food bank shelves empty ahead of school holidays

Coventry's 14 food banks are said to be at critical stock levels, as they brace themselves for increased demand and fewer donations this Summer.

The team at Coventry Foodbank have issued a fresh appeal for support ahead of a predicted spike in demand over the school break next week (w/c July 24).

During this period, they are also forecasting a 25% drop in donations, as more people go away on holiday.

Since being established in 2011, Coventry Foodbank has supported people across the city to access emergency food parcels, giving out over 100,000 three-day emergency food parcels to over 250,000 people.

The impending summer struggle comes in the wake of concerning findings by the Trussell Trust, which suggest that one in five people in the country has gone without food over the past year on a regular basis.

The report also states that food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network distributed 61,000 emergency food parcels in 2010/11, rising to 2.5 million in 2020/21 - with the need for food banks increasing by 128% in the last 5 years.

Gavin Kibble, Founder of Coventry Foodbank said: "This year we have seen donations plummet yet demand for our service has risen exponentially. Put quite simply, people are no longer in a position to support us in the way they did due to the current cost-of-living crisis.

"This is a very worrying time for everyone, demand this year has outstripped supply so that on an average week we were giving out a ton of food more than was coming in. Since the start of the year, we have used our cash reserves to purchase over 20 tons of food to supplement our food offer.

He added: "Through 2023, we have continued to experience unprecedented demand for Foodbank support, significantly outstripping donations of food. Many parents will turn to Foodbank during July and August faced with the cost of providing additional food to their families.

"If we could all buy one extra item when we do a supermarket shop and just drop it in the Foodbank supermarket collection box, we could easily support the needs of many families living in crisis at this time."

A foodbank user from Coventry said: "I am really concerned about the impact of the summer holidays. As a family, we rely on free school meals during term times. With that gone, I worry about having enough food for them."

One of the charity’s 14 foodbank centres is open somewhere in the city 6-days a week.

To find further information about how to help through food and financial donations or volunteering, visit: https://coventry.foodbank.org.uk/.