Help for the hungry as county’s first foodbank opens its doors

East Yorkshire’s first foodbank opens its doors today.

The Holderness Foodbank has been set up by church and community groups in Hornsea to help people who need emergency food supplies.

Often they are working families on low incomes who are struggling to make ends meet as food prices rise and wages remain static.

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Foodbanks have been opening at a record rate across the country as the economy stagnates.

The one in Hornsea is among dozens set up this year with the help of the Trussell Trust, which opened its first foodbank more than a decade ago.

The vicar of St Nicholas Church, the Rev Phil Lamb, said there was scepticism – but five families had already been in touch prior to the opening.

He said: “We have had negative comments but I think that is borne through ignorance. Before we even had the launch we have had five or six families coming asking for help, thinking it was already up and running.

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“As a church we put food parcels together to help them through their hardship.

“We actually said at our last team meeting, we would be happy if no one came – but we know that’s not going to happen.”

To get food people will need to be referred by their doctor, social worker or other care professional who will give them a food voucher, which can then be redeemed at Manna House at St Nicholas Parish Church, in Newbegin, which is open today from 1pm to 2.30pm.

Mr Lamb said: “The beauty of the foodbank is that you can be quite anonymous. You can come in and have a coffee, bring in your voucher and you can slip away with bags that aren’t marked Foodbank. The Hornsea Foodbank is the first such foodbank to be set up in the East Yorkshire and in the Diocese of York.

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“Churches from different denominations have come together with community groups to set this up – St Nicholas is a Church of England church, and we’re working with the New Horizons Church and the United Reform Church as well as the Rotary Club and the Lions.

“I want the idea to be infectious – I hope other church and community groups can see how the foodbank will help people in real need and set up their own foodbank.”

Mr Lamb is appealing for schools, churches, businesses and individuals to get involved by donating non-perishable, in-date food.

He thanked the Co-op for allowing a food collection at its store in Newbegin last weekend.

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The Trussell Trust has launched 60 new foodbanks in the past year. Spokeswoman Molly Hodson said: “Every day we meet people who are making decisions between eating and paying the rent or are considering stealing just to put food on the table for their children.

“It is shocking that this happens in 21st century Britain.

“There are a lot of people on low income jobs who are OK most of the time, but something like a car breaking down puts them suddenly in crisis because they don’t have the flexibility to deal with it, and they are left with a choice between fixing the car or buying food.”

She said the idea was to plug the gap – but not create dependency, which was why people had to be referred: “It’s not sustainable for people to become reliant on foodbanks. We signpost people to agencies where they can look at the root cause of the problem.”

Hornsea may not appear a place where people go hungry, but Miss Hodson said neither did Salisbury where the first foodbank was opened in 2000.

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“It is a pretty cathedral city; not the kind of place where people expect poverty to be, but most towns and cities in the UK have hidden poverty,” she said.

Sixty ventures launched in year

The Trussell Trust has launched 60 new foodbanks in the past year and fed more than 61,500 people nationwide in 2010-11, 50 per cent more than the previous year. It is estimated that there are 13 million people living below the poverty line.

It accepts donations of foods including milk, sugar fruit juice, tomatoes and cereals. Teabags, instant mashed potato, rice and pasta are also all welcomed.