Middlesbrough food bank: 'Our pot of money gets less and less every week'
People there say the demand for help is growing
We are hearing from a foodbank in Teesside who say their 'pot of money' gets less and less every week as demand for help grows.
The Trussell branch in Middlesbrough say they are worried as donations have gone down so they are having to spend a lot on food themselves.
Tracey Godfrey-Harrison, project manager, said: "I think we're seeing people who've been before coming back again and that's not necessarily what we're there for. We're meant to be an emergency crisis but people are coming back because they just can't afford to live at this point in time. Last year we fed just over 15,000 people and that was at the end of December. I think this year we're going to exceed that.
"It worries me a little bit because we don't have an endless pot where we can keep buying food. Our donations have gone down as people right across the board are struggling and can only afford to give what they can, so it does worry me because we're spending a lot of money every week on food.
"I'm worried that we're seeing the same faces coming back who need help that don't have anywhere else to go. I'm also worried because it's coming into winter time and people will have to make a choice - do they eat? or do they heat their homes?
"It's people who've got jobs, two jobs, mum and dad both working but because of the mortgage payments going up, your utility bills are going up, they need to come and see us. We see people who are currently unemployed and students as well. We're seeing a lot of students coming in."