A food bank in Penrith has warned of a slump in donations as the cost of living squeeze now spreads to hit shoppers in the pocket.
Rising numbers of people are needing food parcels from The Salvation Army in Hunter Lane, at the same time as fewer donations are being dropped off at town supermarkets as the cost of their own trolleys creep up.
The Salvation Army said it needs more donations after the double whammy of a run on referrals during April and a fall in people giving.
April saw a huge increase in energy prices, a National Insurance hike and dizzying sums to fill up at the pumps. The Salvation Army in town experienced 1,211 referrals alone — its most ever.
Referrals are made by Citizens Advice, the Job Centre, local schools, health visitors and doctors when someone is struggling to make ends meet.
This week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published annual data which shows how the cost of low priced foods has soared in the year to April, 2022.
Cheap store cupboard essentials such as pasta rose by as much as 50 per cent, it found. Worse off shoppers are also having to shell out more for bread, beef mince, rice, cereal, baked beans, crisps and biscuits.
Major Carole Donaldson, joint church leader of The Salvation Army in Penrith, said: “Sadly we’re seeing more and more people come to us for help as the cost of living crisis deepens and some are barely able to meet their essential needs each month.
“From single people to couples and families and from the employed to the unemployed, retired and those on disability benefits – there is no typical food bank user. Needing help can creep up quickly on anyone and something has gone wrong if people who are working can’t even afford to put food on the table. We want to thank everyone who donates to us, whilst we continue to help those less fortunate in our community which is growing.”
The food bank is open two days a week, Tuesday and Friday, 10am until 2pm. Drop off points are at Booths and Morrisons, or the church and community centre on Hunters Lane between Tuesday and Friday 10am to 2.30pm.
Pam, originally from Penrith is a working single parent who lives in Clifton with her 13-year-old daughter. Pam said: “I have seen my energy bills increase recently meaning the money I have each month just won’t stretch to cover all I need as everything continues to go up. I now spend the majority of my money on gas and electric meaning I then have none left to put towards food.
“It is a real worry for the future, and I’ve found myself turning to The Salvation Army for support. They’ve helped me out recently with food parcels when my payments simply didn’t cover all of my bills. I’d have been quite lost without them in all honesty.”
Food parcels can include items such as tinned vegetables, fruit, pasta and sauce in a jar as well as toilet roll, coffee, biscuits and toiletries. Each referral gets food for seven days plus extras such as toiletries. Everyone gets a tailored response including families, with The Salvation Army considering the age of children so that family parcels can include nappies and formula if necessary.
The Penrith Corps also has a JustGiving page which can be found at www.justgiving.com/penrith-salvation-army
Donations are welcome but people are encouraged to donate only what they can afford.
