Stone Community Hub is among six local food banks set to benefit from fresh council funding that will keep vital food deliveries running for another year.
A distribution hub that provides much-needed supplies to six food banks in Stafford Borough is set to receive an extra £15,000 in council funding to continue its work for another 12 months.
Stafford Borough Council gave Stafford Community Food Distribution Hub an £11,000 boost 11 months ago so it could carry on helping to feed hungry families.
However, efforts to find alternative funding sources for the hub, which was set up three years ago, have proved fruitless, according to a report to the borough council’s cabinet. It added:
“The hub gets weekly deliveries from FareShare, which it then distributes to six food banks in the borough.
“The hub needs additional funding to be able to keep this weekly delivery. If the funding isn’t allocated to the hub, the FareShare delivery would be lost
“At a time when demand for food is outstripping supply, the contribution made by the hub needs to be sustained. It plays an essential role in procuring additional food for the food banks. ”
FareShare Midlands, the charity that redistributes surplus food from across the industry to the Stafford hub, is itself struggling to source sufficient supplies, borough council cabinet members heard at their meeting on Thursday (April 10). Councillor Jill Hood, cabinet member for community, said:
“Fareshare Midlands will not take on any more new contracts or increase weekly orders – this means they cannot extend their scheme to other borough food banks, only those who chose to join the scheme.
“Six of the borough’s food banks chose to become members of the hub: Elim Church, Stone Community Hub, Holmcroft Community Centre, House of Bread, Signposts Services Food Bank at Rising Brook and Staffordshire Women’s Aid. I ask that we agree to approve additional financial support to the Stafford Community Food Distribution Hub Community Interest Company to enable them to receive food deliveries for a further 12 months.
“The hub works very hard in getting food for the food banks that chose to join, be part of the organisation and receive help. Last year, at the May 7 cabinet meeting, members agreed to funding the hub, which understood that they must explore alternative funding in 2025.
“This has proved impossible for them and they have reached the stage where they need extra funding from us now. They have exhausted all efforts to source further funding.
“All food banks in the borough have seen the needs of those who rely on food parcels rise, and are struggling to supply demand. The council recognises the tremendous value of the work of all our food banks.”
Fellow cabinet members agreed to allocate £15,000 to the food distribution hub. Council deputy leader Rob Kenney said:
“This is essential, especially in a time when food donations are at their minimum at the moment.”
