Food bank hopes building society donation will trigger further support

Simon Patel (left) of Skipton Building Society’s Hull branch with Clive Da Silva of Hull Food Bank.

HULL FOOD BANK  is hoping for support from other businesses after receiving a £250 cash boost from the Skipton Building Society in Hull city centre.

The food bank team say demand for their help is increasing year on year and the situation will be aggravated by further price rises which are forecast for the coming months.

Russ Barlow, manager, of Hull Food Bank, said: “It’s not right that people in our community are needing a charity’s help to put food on the table. Everyone in Hull should be able to afford the essentials. 

“We’re always blown away by the amount of support and generosity local people show in supporting our work – our vital work has only been possible because of that incredible support. As we head into another potentially busy year, support from organisations and businesses really keeps us going through the year.  If you're able to have a food collection for us 2022, please feel free to contact us.”

The donation from Skipton is part of a £27,000 scheme by the building society to help food banks across the country. It will go towards daily essentials and cupboard staples such as tinned meat, fish and fruit. 

Simon Patel , manager at Skipton’s Hull branch in Jameson Street, said: “We’re delighted to support the fantastic work being carried out by Hull Food Bank and hope that Skipton’s donation will help the local community.

“The food poverty rate in the UK is among the highest in Europe, with millions struggling to access the food they need every single day. With the rate ever increasing, food banks need help now more than ever.”

Hull Food Bank is based at Jubilee Central in Waltham Street, Hull, and has three more branches across the city. The branches open every day except Tuesday and the website at https://hull.foodbank.org.uk/ publishes details of where donations can be dropped of and which products are priorities.

Assistant manager Clive Da Silva said demand is at its highest since the food bank opened in 2011.

He said: “During 2020 we were the busiest since we started 10 years ago and 2021 will beat it. We are seeing a lot of new people who haven’t used us before, which isn’t surprising given the impact of the pandemic on businesses and people offloading staff.

“We get visits from people who have never used a food bank and they are very embarrassed but we  try to take that away. Some don’t even know how to sign on. They have always thought it would never happen to them.

“We pay rent on some of our premises and we have other overheads but people give us money specifically for food and that’s where it goes. Usually we run out of certain items in about June, especially tinned food, and we have to buy it in.

“We get a fair amount of business support especially from some of the supermarkets who permanently place trolleys where people can leave donations. It has made a big difference to the lives of some people. People have been very generous and we are very grateful for that.”

To find out more about how you can help please email russ@hull.foodbank.org.uk or clive@hull.foodbank.org.uk