Cost-of-living crisis sees demand soar at Stratford Foodbank
A VITAL service which aims to reduce poverty in Stratford and the surrounding areas is feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis – and bosses can’t see demand slowing down any time soon.
In the last month alone Stratford Foodbank has seen a 30 per cent increase in users, says operations manager Zoe Ballinger, and following the new energy price cap coming into force on 1st April, there are fears more people will require their services.
It’s a double-edged sword, though. As more and more people need help, that in turn is having a huge impact on the stock levels at the Foodbank. Without that stock, the Foodbank is unable to fulfil the picking list for a certain family, couple or individual.
There’s a lot of pressure on everyone right now and Zoe told the Herald there are uncertainties over just how big of an impact there will be on the Foodbank in the coming months.
“Over the last month, demand has been really picking up with the number of vouchers coming through our system,” she told the Herald.
“Sometimes it’s hard to track exactly where we are, but at the moment we are seeing about a 30 per cent increase in demand and with the new price cap, we just don’t know how that’s going to impact us.
“We do know our stocks are really low and if things go as we expect them to, then really quickly we will not have all the products needed to fill parcels.
“We get a picking list and some of the items on those we have a lot of, but some things we’ve hardly got any. If demand increase within a week, then we’re going to run out of some of those products.”
The Foodbank recently put out an appeal for donations following the surge in demand. The products needed are: fruit juice, UHT milk (whole and semi-skimmed), rice pudding, instant coffee, instant mash, tinned potatoes, tinned vegetables, beef curry, vegetarian tinned meals, chicken curry, toothbrushes, shampoo, small packets of washing powder, Fairy liquid, cleaning products, deodorant, conditioner, shower gel and toilet roll.
And Zoe stressed the importance of only donating what the Foodbank asked for. “We have to put everything into a parcel that’s on the list we receive, so we only need items we ask for.
“We have lots of some things, but short supply of others and that’s what we call our ‘most wanted’ list.”
The Foodbank doesn’t just provide emergency food parcels, it also signposts people to other services people may require, such as debt management or mental health. And demand for those kind of organisations is also on the up.
“At the moment, we do not see any reason why demand should not continue to go up,” said Zoe.
“It’s inevitable because people’s salaries are not keeping up with the rate of inflation and price increases, so families, individuals and couples are much worse off than before.
“What we’re trying to do is help people through a crisis to get them into a better position so they can live independently going forward.
“We signpost people to other organisations, like debt management or mental health. The demand for those kind of services is going through the roof as well.”
The Foodbank now has its warehouse at the Fred Winter Centre and the charity paid tribute to those who have not only donated to their cause, but also made the move to the Guild Street centre possible.
“In particular we’d like to thank Stratford Town Trust, Stratford Rotary, Alcester and Stratford, District Round Table, Shakespeare Lions, Fortem, Heart of England Communities Energy, L and Q Foundation, Wright Hassall, Rosconn Group and various private donors,” said Zoe.
“We would also like to thank the Fred Winter Partnership, this comprises charities, housing associations, local authorities, job centre plus and local trusts, and its aim is to work together to help homeless people and reduce the risk of homelessness in Stratford district.”
Donations can be made into baskets at Waitrose, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl, or directly to their warehouse at the Fred Winter Centre from 2pm-4pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 9.30am-11.30am on Saturdays.
