Teesside foodbank concerned about lack of donations as 'stocks are low'

They help people in need

Author: Karen LiuPublished 28th Sep 2024

A foodbank in Teesside say they are concerned about a lack of donations to help support those in need.

Over the last 11 years, Footprints in the Community have supported over 65,000 people struggling with food poverty.

Helen Hedges is from the Redcar Area Foodbank and she said: "I've been here from the very beginning and I thought maybe a couple of years or 18-months, it'll be brilliant and we'll get the donations and it'll probably start falling off but boy was I wrong. The community, the area Redcar and Cleveland have been absolutely fantastic.

"Food is the biggie at the moment. The problem is that you never know what's going to happen, so it's always an unknown factor in what we do but I'm just amazed by the support we've got. It's mindblowing and I'm so grateful and humble by it. Hopefully we'll carry on doing what we're doing as much as we can.

"Sadly we're now getting to the stage, because every year we've seen the numbers creep up, that how much can people support us? And you know, this year I'm starting to worry about food going forward because we know since Covid and the cost of living has gone up, people can't donate like they did.

"Some people think that you have to donate you know a bag full of shopping or whatever, but one tin makes a difference. I remember a little old lady and she said 'there's a tin of beans for you.' That's two meals for a young person. It makes a difference no matter what it is and how much it is. If everybody just donated one tin it would be amazing."

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