Wellington Foodbank has been getting busier this year – manager CHRISTINE SILVERLIGHT explains why

MANY people will be aware there is a foodbank in Wellington and that it is based at the United Reformed Church in Fore Street. Not everyone is aware that it is part of the Trussell Trust foodbank network and comes under the umbrella of Taunton Foodbank, which also operates a ‘satellite’ in Langport.

The Wellington foodbank has now been open for just over four years and is generally a lot quieter than Taunton. However, things have got busier this year and we have seen a large increase in the number of clients visiting the foodbank. This is largely due to the introduction of Universal Credit (UC) which ‘lumps’ together several benefits including Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit and Working and Child Tax credit. The application process for UC takes six weeks and can leave individuals and families short of money and having to make difficult financial decisions.

A recent report the Trussell Trust commissioned from Oxford University highlighted the sort of issues we see at the foodbank. Many of our clients are single men, some are homeless, many suffer from bad health, have a disability or have mental health problems; single parents often struggle with balancing their finances. These are all mentioned in the report. Another alarming statistic in the report is that 78% of those visiting foodbanks were severely food insecure meaning they had skipped meals and gone without eating sometimes for days at a time. The average household income the month before visiting a foodbank is £319.43. The report is available to read if you Google Trussell Trust Oxford University report June 2017. The foodbank in Wellington has heard many stories of hardship where clients have admitted they have no food, or very little, to eat at home.

All the food given out to clients is from donations made either directly to the warehouse or through local collection points and organisations such as churches – many groups, too varied to mention, give regular donations of food. If you live in Wellington there are collection points in One-Stop, Waitrose and more recently the Co-op.

The increase in foodbank use has meant that some items are running out in the warehouse: cold meat – tinned ham, corned beef etc – UHT fruit juice, soup and tinned vegetables. The Taunton foodbank website and Facebook page also have regular updates on what is needed.

Our thanks go out to all who support the foodbank with donations of money and food. Please continue to support us during this difficult time.