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Food banks in Ashfield are appealing for support and donations after “demand doubled” over the winter months, with residents hit by the rising cost of living.

Two foodbanks in Sutton are appealing for support and donations, due to an increase in demand over winter months.

Let’s All Eat

Let’s All Eat is a not-for-profit community organisation which uses surplus food to fight food poverty in the Sutton area.

Liz Barrett, principal of Academy Transformation Trust Further Education college, which works in partnership with the foodbank, said: “Let's All Eat has experienced an increase in emergency food parcels being requested from professionals. Such as school teachers.

“These parcels are now often for people and families who are in paid work – previously this rarely happened – but are juggling paying for food around heating and electricity.

“From a college point of view, we also have a larger number of our 16 to 18-year-olds who are coming to college hungry having not eaten from college the previous day. We are doing free breakfasts, and lunches and also sending cooked winter meals home from Let's All Eat with them to help combat this.”

To get in touch, residents and groups can call the team on 07495 023358.

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St Mary’s Foodbank

St Mary’s foodbank in Sutton has seen a similar increase in demand, as use of the service has almost doubled over the winter months.

This food bank operates from Portland Pathways in Sutton and will welcome people making donations to its Sutton site during the opening hours of Mondays, 9.30am-11.30am, and Fridays, 9.30am-12pm.

Lee Fletcher, St Mary's food and clothing bank manager, said: “At the moment we are feeding about 128 people over two days, Monday and Friday.

“The service has doubled, we are giving twice as much out as ever before.”

The St Mary’s site also signposts people to different organisations such as jobcentre plus, council support, framework, CAB, women's refuge, mental health, and crisis teams.

St Mary’s is in ‘desperate’ need of the following items.

Dried goods in packets; tinned items such as soup; baked beans; fish; pudding; fruit; vegetables and meat.

The service is also looking for more donations of cereal; long-life milk; monthly sugar; tea; coffee; pasta; rice; bread and toiletries.

Ashfield foodbanks appeal for donations as demand doubles amid rising cost of living pressures