By Grimsby foodbank seeing more people in need of food parcels since restrictions eased
Grimsby foodbank The Rock Foundation has seen a surge in local people in need of food parcels since the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased.
Pam Hodge, the founder of Rock Foundation, said: “The numbers have started to go up again. We’re feeding around 450 people a week especially where benefits are concerned. Single people are having a hard time. Some have lost jobs or aren’t getting the hours they were getting before furlough.
Figures released from The Trussell Trust show 123,000 emergency food parcels have been given to people across the Humber and Yorkshire over the last year.
They are calling on the government to act fast after their figures also revealed a 13 percent increase on food donations since last year.
Pam said that more needs to be done to help local people financially.
“If it wasn’t for charities like ourselves, where would this country be? We haven’t been getting any funding during lockdown and it’s been very difficult. Normally we would have been doing charity events to bring in the funding.”
The Rock Foundation is a front-line charity based in Heneage Road, Grimsby, which focuses on young people and adults with learning disabilities and those who are disadvantaged.
They offer practical workshops and supported work placements in a bid to help their service users develop life and employment skills, increase their level of independence and improve their general quality of life.
They also operate two charity shops – one at their Heneage Road site, and one on Freeman Street.
Pam said the Grimsby foodbank is finding more people turning up when they don’t need a food parcel.
She said: “We’ve been getting people in who earn £1,800 a month and think they’re eligible for a food parcel. This is not a person in crisis.”
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