Stone food bank to benefit from council support

Food banks struggling to meet demand from hungry families are set to receive a boost of more than £11,000 from Stafford Borough Council.

The cash will ensure the Stafford Community Food Distribution Hub can continue supplying six food banks in the borough with much-needed items for a further 40 weeks while it looks for alternative funding services.

The hub gets weekly deliveries from FareShare, a charity that redistributes surplus food from across the industry to charities and community groups. The hub was set up in 2022 with support from the borough council but has yet to find a sustainable funding source.

On Tuesday, the 7th of May, the council’s cabinet agreed to allocate the remaining £11,190 from its Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Programme to the hub. This will provide supplies to food banks at Stone Community Hub, Stafford’s Elim Hope Church, Signposts Services at Rising Brook Baptist Church, Holmcroft Community Centre, House of Bread and Staffordshire Women’s Aid.

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A report to the cabinet said:

“Since its inception, the Hub has provided in total 25 tonnes of additional food equating to around 60,000 meals. All the local food banks in the borough have seen a significant increase in demand for food.

“This comes at a time where there has been a simultaneous reduction in the volume of donations from the public, who are often struggling with the rising cost of living, and from supermarkets and shops who are doing more to reduce food waste. This has led to a position where food banks are either not able to meet all the need they identify or are resorting to buying food to donate to households.”

Councillor Jill Hood, cabinet member for community, said at Tuesday’s meeting:

“Today DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) figures show that in January in the UK three million children and eight million adults experienced food insecurity – a posh title given to people who don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next food will come from. This is a shocking statistic in 2024.

“To add to this, today we’re hearing from farmers that crops are failing due to bad weather and that prices will soar this winter, putting even more pressure on families with the cost of living and unavailability of affordable fruit and vegetables for families who are already existing on low nutritional and poor quality food. Food banks are struggling to meet demand, not just for food but also basic essential items such as toothpaste, washing powder and, worryingly, baby formula which is high on the list.

“Six food banks chose to be members of the hub. Many of the supermarkets and original suppliers have greatly reduced or in some cases stopped their donations to the borough’s food banks.

“The consequence of not being able to access a healthy diet is people are more likely to have health problems such as poor mental health, heart disease or diabetes. Children will be malnourished, causing behavioural problems and poor educational standards.

“By approving the allocation of funding to the hub, we guarantee that the six food banks they deliver to will continue to meet demand for at least another 40 weeks from FareShare. During this time the hub has agreed to actively seek other funding pots, ensuring the continuing service to benefit Stafford Borough residents.

“During Covid people were so overwhelmingly generous but it’s dried up and people are no longer donating. It’s a shame because there is a real need out there.”

Fellow cabinet members backed the allocation of funds, including Councillor Ian Fordham, who described the move as “very positive”. Councillor Gillian Pardesi, cabinet member for leisure, said: “Councillor Hood has explained why it’s vital that we make sure this money goes to the hub.”

Deputy leader Rob Kenney said:

“I was listening to a programme and they were on about the food banks and the lack of food they were getting in from donations at the moment. Most of them are having to purchase the food rather than just using donations given to them.”