LEDBURY Food Bank in anticipating a big increase in demand for its services as the cost of living crisis deepens.
The volunteer led charity says it is facing a number of challenges as demand is expected to increase by 50%
Mark Lister, Chair, said: "The food bank has seen a significant increase in demand throughout 2023.
"We are anticipating an annual increase of about 50% from 2022.
"This creates a number of challenges.
"We are an entirely volunteer led organisation and the increased demand puts a strain on our volunteers as each session is very busy.
"In addition to the donations of food that we collect from the local supermarkets and other stores we are spending about £1,000 per week on food.
"The money for this comes from our very generous regular donors and from grants and donations from other charities and businesses.
"We have for example had substantial donations from Barratt Homes and Galebreaker in the last couple of months.
"Our financial position is such that we can support the increased level of demand in the medium term but we are always looking for additional funding streams."
Mark Lister
Chair, Lead Team
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