The manager of a Selston food bank says demand for its services is soaring as the cost of living continues to bite away at families’ budgets.
Chris Tomlinson, manager of the Tin Hat Centre Food Bank in Selston, says the organisation is receiving five new referrals every week as more and more people come forward asking for help.
This week the food bank was given a boost in the shape of a £500 cheque from Gillotts Funeral Directors, which operates an office in nearby Nottingham Road and raised the money through its annual Christmas tree memorial appeal.
READ MORE: Families flock to remember loved ones as Gillotts launches its 2024 Christmas tree appeal
Taking place last month, the appeal saw the firm install Christmas trees at all five of its offices across the region and invite families to leave messages to loved ones they have lost during the year.
It has donated £1 for each label left on the trees and shared the proceeds, which, alongside donations made by families during their visits, total £2,500, between five food banks, including the Tin Hat Centre.
Chris has managed the food bank for more than two years and says it is busier than ever, having stepped up its opening times from one day a week to five days a week in that time.
It is run by 25 regular volunteers alongside nine part-time staff and serves around 300 local households, handing out food and other necessary items.
Chris said: “Demand for food banks is growing, as are the costs of running them, so any help we get with donations is unbelievably welcome.
“People are unable to buy food and pay their gas and electric bills, so we try and help in any way we can. We hand out food parcels on a fortnightly basis, consisting of two or three bags of ingredients people can use to make up several meals.
“I’ve never seen it as busy as this and we’re getting about five new referrals every week. Some of them are emergency one-offs but some of them become regulars. People are really struggling out there.”
Another local food bank which has benefitted from a £500 donation from Gillotts is the Brinsley Food Bank. Based at the parish centre in Cordy Lane, it operates every Wednesday from 10am to 11.45am.
Liz Williamson, the food bank’s manager, said: “We hand out about 20 food parcels every week and serve Brinsley and the surrounding villages, like Jacksdale and Westwood Underwood, which goes to show that there are households struggling in areas that people might consider to be affluent.
“The food bank started out during Covid and everyone assumed it would be a temporary thing but it’s grown and grown ever since and the demographic of people who use us has changed during that time too.
“We’ve gone from mainly families with children to single people now who are struggling to make ends meet and pay their bills. The £500 will really help us to buy products like milk, biscuits and tinned meat like stewing steak, which we don’t get donated to us anymore because the cost of it has gone through the roof.”
The other food banks to receive money from Gillotts’ Christmas appeal are the Eastwood Volunteer Bureau’s Food Bank, which serves Eastwood and Kimberley, the Haven Church and Community Centre in Wadsworth Road, Stapleford, and Salcare, which is based in Ray Street, Heanor, across the border in Derbyshire.
Joanne Hutsby, a partner in Gillotts Funeral Directors, said: “We have been holding our Christmas tree appeal for about 20 years now and we used to choose a different charity every year.
“However, when we decided to support local food banks a few years ago, it struck a chord with our staff and we have donated the proceedings to them every year since.
“I don’t think anybody would have expected food banks to be anything but a temporary measure, but we are proud to support them again and we hope they will be able to use the money to help ease the burden for local families.”
