THE TEAM behind Malvern Food Bank has stressed its importance in the town after almost 700 emergency supplies were sent to people in a crisis during a five-month period earlier this year.
Between April and September, volunteers at the Spring Lane South service gave 680 three-day emergency food supplies to people in need, although this was more than 100 less compared to last year when 783 supplies were sent out.
Leaders of the food bank say the reduced figure is welcomed but still shows levels of hunger are a still of serious concern for the Malvern area.
Chris Bray from the Malvern Hills Food Bank Trustees, said: “We are pleased to note a reduction in food bank use but are aware that there is still a need for our food bank in this area.”
The food bank, which was launched several years ago, is run by Christian charity Trussell Trust which owns the biggest network of food banks in the UK.
The charity also revealed more than 70 volunteers have spent time working at the Malvern Food Bank in the last six months with schools and businesses providing vital support.
As well as offering emergency food, the Malvern Food Bank provides essential services such as washing powder, nappies and other hygiene products.
Newly released figures from Trussell Trust also state that more than 506,000 three-day emergency food supplies were sent out between April and September across the country, an increase of 13,000 during the same period last year.
Adrian Curtis, food bank director at Trussell Trust UK, said the figures in Malvern and at national level were worrying.
“We look forward to the day that we can announce a decrease in numbers needing food banks, and we welcome the fact that latest national figures show a less dramatic rise,” he said.
“We’re seeing that hunger remains a major issue for low income families and individuals.
“When the proposed changes to tax credits are implemented, we are concerned that more working families will not be able to make ends meet, and that we could see a substantial rise in food bank use as a result.
“We need to learn more from the realities of life for people struggling on low incomes and make sure that no incomes are too low to live on.”
Visit http://malvernhills.foodbank.org.uk for more information.
