Growing queues at Worcester food bank (From Worcester News)

Growing queues at Worcester food bank

4:04pm Tuesday 13th November 2012 in News

WORCESTER’S food bank is set to open three days a week from December to feed the city’s hungry.

It is currently open two days each week but growing demand for the service led organisers to expand.

Since opening in June the food bank has fed 623 people, with 20 percent being 18.

The food bank, which was opened by Christian Ann-Marie Ison with the Trussell Trust, is one of an increasing number around the country and helped to feed some of the 13,947 people fed in the West Midlands in the past six months.

Mrs Ison, who runs the food bank in Carden Close, Carden Street, off City Walls Road said: “We will now be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

“We are getting a huge amount of clients through the door at the moment.

“Last Thursday we had 45 in one day, which is the most we have seen.

“It is getting more and more most weeks. Some of the people haven’t eaten for three or four days when they come to us.

“There is a growing demand.

“We are seeing a lot of young people as well as an increase in families and self employed parents, who don’t have the work or the benefits to rely on.“

Only people who have been given tokens from one of a number of organisations around the county can access the food and new groups including the Asha Centre have been added to the list.

“The time of year will play a part,” said Mrs Ison. “The heating bills will go up and that will have an impact.”

Despite the increase in clients Mrs Ison said they have received a lot of food as a result of harvest festivals and people’s generosity.

“The response has been amazing.

“Some people who had been fed by us wanted to give back and so have either volunteered or brought food in for us.”

Anyone who would like to donate food can visit the food bank and there is a permanent collection point at Tesco in Warndon Villages, Worcester.