COVENTRY foodbank has appealed for help over the school holidays amid a predicted 25 per cent drop in donations over the summer months as parents face a struggle to put food on the table.
The foodbank has already faced unprecedented demand for its service in 2023 while donations have plummeted, meaning since the start of the year it has been forced to use its cash reserves to buy over 20 tons of food.
Recent research by the Trussell Trust, of which Coventry foodbank is a part, suggests one in five people across the country have regularly gone without food over the past year.
In addition, the report found the need for food banks has increased by 128 per cent over the past five years.
Coventry Foodbank founder Gavin Kibble said: “Put quite simply, people are no longer in a position to support us in the way they did due to the current cost of living crisis.
“This is a very worrying time for everyone, demand this year has outstripped supply so that on an average week we were giving out a ton of food more than was coming in.
“If we could all buy one extra item when we do a supermarket shop and just drop it in the Foodbank supermarket collection box, we could easily support the needs of many families living in crisis at this time.”
Visit https://coventry.foodbank.org.uk/ for more information.
