Salvation Army urge Prestonians who can to donate to their foodbank

The Salvation Army in Preston is appealing for support in stocking the shelves of its near-empty foodbank.

Facing the pressure of the impending rise on the cost of living, as the energy price cap is to increase, The Salvation Army is preparing for a rise in the number of people using the foodbank which is already working to support more than 150 people each month.

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Captain Debbie Eaton, joint leader of The Salvation Army in Preston said: “People’s shopping habits have changed, a lot is done online now so less impulse buying, and as the cost of living continues to dramatically increase, we have seen a significant drop in foodbank donations.

“We’re seeing a month on month increase of requests and a steady increase from monthly numbers last year but sadly a decrease in donations. People have tough choices to make; do you donate to a foodbank or choose to continue to feed your family.”

Open five days a week, Monday – Friday, from 9am until 1pm, the foodbank works on three referrals per person per year, or one a month, making the quarterly figures even more overwhelming.

The Salvation Army works with referrals from the likes of Citizen Advice, local schools, health visitors and doctors.

The foodbank has almost run out of resources

In previous years in the months after Christmas, the church and charity is usually inundated with items which they use to fill the shelves but this year the demand is quickly overtaking the amount of stock on the shelves.

One day in February saw 80 food parcel bags packaged and distributed in the four hours the foodbank was open.

In total The Salvation Army Preston sees individuals, couples and families attend its foodbank with the amount of food parcels given varying.

A bag can include items such as tinned vegetables, fruit, pasta and sauce in a jar as well as toilet roll, coffee, biscuits and toiletries.

An individual can get two main bags and a bag of extras whist a couple will expect to receive three bags and a bag of extras.

A family gets a more tailored parcel, dependent on the age of children with parcels including nappies and formula if necessary.

Captain Eaton continued: “There is no typical template of who uses a foodbank. We’re seeing more and more people that are in stable jobs needing our support. Once you’ve hit your maximum food budget and you get an unexpected bill, like a car’s MOT or a medical expense, that you haven’t budgeted for, it’s very easy to quickly slip into needing a helping hand.

“There’s only so many cuts you can make and, once you reach your limit, anyone and everyone could be in need, and that is what is actually quite scary.”

For anyone wishing to donate food to the foodbank drop off points are located at Morrisons, Preston Riverway, Sainsburys, Preston Deepdale, and the church and community centre on Harrington Street.

The Preston Corps (church) also has a Just Giving page which can be found at www.justgiving.com/prestonsa-community and whilst all donations are welcome people are encouraged to donate only what they can afford.