Food bank set up at school to help feed families

Handsworth Grange Community Sports College in Sheffield installed two giant food bins earlier this week and has appealed to the community for donations.

It comes as Sheffield City Council announced plans to put £20,000 funding into supporting food bank schemes.

Within hours of the secondary school asking parents to donate food and essential goods around a thousand items arrived on their doorstep.

Now staff are urging others to help support this cause in a bid to help those most in need.

Handsworth Grange head teacher Anne Quaile said: “This came about after a pupil came to school on a Monday morning saying the last full meal she had eaten was her school dinner on Friday lunchtime.

“I was appalled that such a situation could happen to any family and it started us thinking there might be others who are in similar dire situations.

“That is when we came up with the idea of food parcels and this has progressed into us now installing these two food banks.

“I wrote to parents and carers on Tuesday night last week and by Wednesday morning – just hours later – hundreds of items had been donated.

“It has overwhelmed us the complete generosity of people in this community.

“If we can help those families which need it most then this can only be a good thing.”

Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts, whose constituency covers the school, raised the issue of local families being unable to afford to eat, when he spoke in the House of Commons in December. He added: “As a result of coming to visit the school I raised the issue of food poverty with the Prime Minister. I am pleased to come back today to the school to see the actions that have been taken by them.”

Sheffield Council’s cabinet member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene, Councillor Jack Scott hit out at the Government over the fact that food banks were needed in the 21st century.

But he said the local authority was pleased to be able to announce that it was supporting them financially.

He added: “In today’s society it is appalling and shocking that even one family feels they can’t make ends meet to such an extent that they can’t afford to eat.

“We are one of the richest nations in the world and yet we are seeing some of the most terrible cases of poverty in years because of the huge financial pressures being put on hard working families.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the tough austerity measures being imposed by this Coalition Government are the root cause of this situation.

“We don’t want a situation where there are food banks.

“But while there is this need to do everything we can to support food banks in Sheffield and we are pleased we are making this investment.”

Evidence from Trussell Trust, which runs 400 food banks across the UK, shows that rising living costs and stagnant wages are forcing more people to live on a financial knife edge where any change in circumstance can plunge them into poverty.

Food prices have risen by nearly 13 per cent above inflation over the past six years and recent rising energy prices have seen more people forced to choose between eating and heating, according to the charity.