Salisbury foodbank facing toughest winter yet
They're collecting food donations at Tesco stores in Salisbury, Amesbury and Tidworth
Foodbanks across the country are facing their toughest winter yet with an estimated one million emergency food parcels expected to be handed out over the next three months.
Salisbury Foodbank is calling for our support over the winter months by donating to their Winter Food Collection.
From today (30th November) until Saturday (2nd December), people shopping at Tesco Extra in Salisbury or at Tesco in Amesbury or Tidworth are being encouraged to pick up an extra item or two and drop them into special donation trollies when leaving the stores.
Maria Stevenson, manager of Salisbury Foodbank, said the collection tends to generate a tonne of food per store, which is especially welcome at this time of year.
Some of the food goes into the Christmas hampers, while a section of it becomes part of the foodbank's general stock to support families between December and February.
Essential items on the Foodbank's wish list include long-life fruit juice, tinned meat, tinned fish, rice, soup and Christmas treats.
Maria told us that she's always left blown away by people's generosity around Christmas.
"Quite often it's people that have used the food bank in the past. People rock up with a trolley worth of food and I'm say 'wow, is this all for us?'"
"They would say 'you helped me three years ago when I really needed it, and I couldn't afford to pay you back until now'.
"It's a really, lovely and humbling experience to be part of."
Trussell Trust network foodbanks are expected to be giving out an emergency food parcel every 8 seconds this winter, with more and more people turning to foodbanks for help.
Between April and October this year, over 320,000 people went to a foodbank for support for the first time as households continued to feel the squeeze on finances brought by the cost-of-living crisis.
Trussell Trust chief executive, Emma Revie, said foodbanks are not a long-term solution but they'll continue fighting for the change that means they can be closed for good.
She said: “For many people, the coming months will be a particularly tough period as they struggle to cover the cost of energy bills, food and other essentials, on top of trying to find a little bit of happiness and hope over Christmas.
“Our staff and volunteers across the UK are working tirelessly to ensure that people facing hardship get support but they cannot do it alone. I know times are tough for everyone at the moment but I encourage everyone to donate if they can as the donations generated through the Tesco Winter Collection are a vital lifeline for food banks at their busiest time. Thank you for your generosity - together we can make a difference.”