Increase in Whitby residents needing help with food and meals
There has been an increase in the amount of people needing help with food and meals in Whitby.
There has been an increase in the amount of people needing help with food and meals in Whitby.
The People's Kitchen has been operating from inside Flowergate Hall Community Art Centre.
The project provides food and meals on a pay-as-you-feel basis or for free if you cannot afford to.
It is being run by Flash Company Arts and Rebecca Denniff who is the Programme Manager, said:
"It started with just a few people accessing it and it's cascaded and grown. Every week we've been doing a takeaway and a delivery system during this lockdown for people who really needed it, and every single week the numbers that we've been asked to get food to has increased.
"We've probably served about 1,500 meals in just over a month which on one hand to a big food business would sound like nothing, but actually for a small organisation like us that's far more than we imagined. We're engaging about 50 families a week and that doesn't include people who just knock on the door and ask for food.
"I'm sure that in time when we've got a bit more of a hybrid model, when some people are paying for their food and other people are making a small donation, I think the figures that we help and support will grow and grow.
"We've worked in Whitby for a long time and we know there's a need and there are great inequalities in the area and there's great poverty. It looks like a lovely, wealthy little seaside resort but we know that the east coast of Yorkshire isn't that lovely, wealthy little enclave, there is great hardship and areas of great need.
"We know that come May 17th if the hospitality business open then our eat-in service will be back on the map. We're looking at doing some picnics. We want to collaborate with Pannett Park which is very close to us and see if we can do some family and community picnics."
Find out more and get in touch with The People's Kitchen in Whitby on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thepeopleskitchenwhitby/