THE NUMBER of people using the Droitwich Spa Foodbank in the past year has increased by 20 per cent.
The charity said it had seen the dramatic rise in the number of struggling families and individuals needing the service to survive.
Debbie Ash, project manager at the Droitwich Spa Foodbank said: “You can see the storm on the horizon, but you cannot see how big or dark the cloud is going to be.
“The short term is very worrying – If you think how people are going to cope – and it is only going to get worse. The largest increase in those using the service has been individuals or couples struggling with paying rent and bills.”
Debbie Ash, who has worked at foodbanks for eight years, added: “Food is the easiest thing to drop when it comes to savings. “Even turning the cooker on costs money, and many of our users are on pre-payment meters which cost more.”
To help provide to the community, the charity has many schemes such as an Amazon Wishlist and ‘grab a bag’, which allows buyers to donate during their shop.
There are also donation points within local supermarkets, such as Morrisons. The group is currently in need of jars of coffee, tinned meats, biscuits and sweets.
Visit droitwichspa.foodbank.org.uk/ to donate, volunteer or find out more about how to use the service.
