Mid-Norfolk Food Bank sees donations fall and demand increase

The Dereham-based Mid-Norfolk Foodbank said it has seen the most demand for its emergency food parcels over the summer holidays since it was founded 11 years ago.

Suzanne Bushby, the food bank operations manager, said demand rose by 62pc during the six-week school holidays.

The Mid Norfolk Foodbank warehouse on Rash's Green, Dereham (Image: Archant)

Ms Bushby said: “The figures are quite startling, in the same six-week period last year we gave out 128 food parcels.

"This year that number has risen to 206. Alarmingly, within those figures, the number of children fed has risen from 143 to 274.

“It has been an extremely busy summer for our service.

"Our summer food drive in the three Tesco stores in our region was a great success collecting 1.7 tonnes of food, but the reality is those donations were given out to foodbank users within the first two weeks of the school holidays. 

"Total food distributed this school holiday amounted to 4.6 tonnes.”

Volunteers at the Mid Norfolk Foodbank warehouse in Dereham (Image: Archant)

Ms Bushby said the soaring cost of groceries and other items has hit people’s ability to donate. She said donations had fallen by 1.1 tonnes - 25pc - over the school holidays.

Ms Bushby said: “The people of mid-Norfolk have always been very generous,” the operations manager added.

“But the cost-of-living crisis is most certainly having an impact on our donation levels so we’re appealing to people not to forget us and to give whatever they can afford to help us provide emergency food parcels through the autumn and winter.”

The food bank has collection bins at Tesco stores in Dereham, Swaffham and Fakenham.

People can also donate at smaller stores across the region. These are listed on the food bank’s website - along with an up-to-date list of the items the service urgently needs.