Harrogate foodbank urging people to keep supporting in 2022
Over 42,000kg of stock was handed out by Harrogate District Foodbank in the last year alone
Staff at Harrogate Foodbank are urging to public to continue to be generous as we head into 2022.
They have been inundated with donations over the last 12 months, supporting those struggling financially due to the pandemic and other factors out of their control.
Over 42,000kg of stock was handed out by Harrogate District Foodbank in the last year alone.
Dawn Pearson, manager, said:
"It's been a tremendously difficult year for people and then as we started easing out of lockdown, the little help that the government were giving to vulnerable people was taken away from them. The electricity started to go up, petrol prices have rocketed, food prices have gone up and now we're in the colder months and you're putting the heating on more so it really is a difficult time for our clients.
"Because our bank account is a little bit healthier we've been able to give our clients fresh fruit and vegetables which they otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford. We give them little treats as well and anything we get that's above and beyond our normal is then put on a front table and it's called 'Help Yourself' so we have a whole range of new stuff as well.
"When you answer the phone it is incredible because people are ringing to say 'where can we donate' not just food but money, people asking if they can volunteer so it's just incredible."
Figures from the Trussell Trust show there has been a 70% increase in the number of parcels handed out from April to September this year, compared to the same period in 2019 before the pandemic hit.
From April to September this year, 1770 food parcels were distributed compared to 1037 in the same time in 2019.
Many families already at breaking point face the fallout of the £20 per week cut from Universal Credit payments that hit this autumn. This is on top of rising fuel costs during the coldest season, as well as soaring inflation.