Norwich Foodbank say they're now feeding over a thousand every month
The charity's warning that donations are failing to keep up with demand
Norwich Foodbank say they're now feeding over a thousand every month- with this set to surge by around a fifth, this month.
With the charity warning that donations are failing to keep up with demand- with November's intake being well below half of what they were last year.
“It is definitely different this year"
Hannah Worsley, Project Manager at Norwich Foodbank says that “donations are down” as people just cannot afford to give as much due to the cost of living.
“In November and December last year, all the donations that came in were combined to 21 tonnes. November so far this year, we have already bought 1 tonne and we have only had 5.5 tonnes come in”.
She explains, “It is definitely different this year”.
In recent years, 1000 people would be fed in December which was “quite shocking”. Now, the foodbank are feeding well over 1000 people every single month with this “December expected to be in the region of 1,200 people just for Norwich Foodbank alone”.
She said “prices of staple things such as tinned meat has gone up” so therefore “money isn’t going as far”.
“Not quite meeting the demand”
Norwich Foodbank gives “more than food”, they are striving to give people support and advice as well as food- it is needed more than ever this year due to the cost of living crisis.
Hannah says this is “not quite meeting the demand”.
The Norwich Foodbank are struggling with bulk buying produce this year. Hannah said that she is noticing that they “spend several hundreds and do not have much to show for it”.
The harvest festival is a popular time for donations at the foodbank. Schools and churches contribute massively although donations do not just include food, the foodbank takes; food, toiletries and money. Often donations tend to continue to pour in, into December- this year there has been a “bit of a lull” which is unusual.